


Between Diversions

by caitastrophe8499



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Captain Canary, F/M, Prank Wars, SHIP IT LIKE FEDEX
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-07-19 08:05:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7352800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitastrophe8499/pseuds/caitastrophe8499
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A crook and assassin get bored between missions and the rest of the team pays the price. Post Marooned, but may veer off. Updated randomly and there's a plot if you squint real hard. This is for fun, and hiatus-relieving purposes. Rated T. Nominee for the Captain Canary Award for Best Canon-Divergent Fiction!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hola.
> 
> So I watched all of Legends of Tomorrow over again and still love it. I had this thing rattling around in my hard drive for a while. I don't know how long it's going to be, or how it's going to happen, or when I'll be able to update, but I'm putting it up anyway.
> 
> I just really love Leonard and Sara, okay?
> 
> Enjoy.

 

Being stuck in the Between sucked.

That's what Sara called the place between times and places. She hated it. The endless floating, the lack of anything to orient herself. But mostly, she hated the inaction.

She sat on Leonard's bed, tossing her knife up and into the air, catching it mindlessly. Leonard was at the small desk, reading a book he'd stolen from Rip's study.

Sorry, _borrowed_.

She flipped the blade faster and faster, pushing herself with the speed. From the corner of her eye, she saw Leonard lower his book slightly, watching her over the pages as the blade became little more than a shimmering silver blur. She lost track of it for a single second and was forced to yank her hand out of its path. The blade thunked into the floor, quivering as it stood on its end.

"As impressive as that is, I don't want you bleeding on my pillow," he drawled.

Sara picked up the blade and pocketed it. She sighed heavily, laying back on his blankets. Ever since Leonard and Mick went for a walk and Leonard had come back alone, she and Leonard had been hanging out more. Not immediately - right after, he seemed more inclined to stay alone and off by himself, but Sara hadn't allowed that for long. She began popping up wherever Leonard was, sometimes silent, sometimes with drinks, most often with a pack of cards. They'd just sit or drink or play together, until he seemed more like his old self. But still, there was sometimes a shadow on his face that Sara didn't like to see. She'd made it her mission to keep him occupied and his thoughts off Mick, but she was running low on ideas here in the Between.

Today - or tonight, she could never tell here - he seemed moderately content, that faint smirk on his face as he marked his place in his book. "Bored, birdy?"

"I'm going nuts. There has to be something I can do on this ship."

"You only have to ask," he suggested, the smirk growing wider. "I'd be more than happy to…divert you."

Sara rolled her eyes, but grinned. "But after five minutes, I'd be bored again."

"Ouch."

She propped herself up on her elbows. "Kidding. Seven."

Leonard shook his head and opened up the book again. "You're cruel, Canary."

"Come on, there has to be something we can do."

"I gave you a suggestion."

"Len."

"Assassin."

"I'm serious."

"So was I."

She filed that away, along with the way his eyes turned darker as he stared at her. Then it was gone as he sighed and put the book down. "What do you want to do?"

Sara racked her brain, trying to think of something. Something that would involve everyone, without turning it into a fight. Their team was getting batter at being a team, but there was something missing. The camaraderie. A team like Oliver's left a lot to be desired, but they had strong bonds. This team needed that.

Thoughts of college and Laurel's stories started to filter in. She smiled slowly, a plan starting to form. She looked at Leonard, who took one look at her expression and began to mirror it.

She sat up and leaned towards him, "Ever hear of Rick-Rolling?"

* * *

Kendra and Ray walked down the Waverider after lunch. They didn't know exactly what time it was in the void, so they all just went off Stein's watch. He was the only one anal enough to change it to every new time zone they landed it - and also the only one who still wore a watch consistently.

"After going 24/7 tailing Savage, it's really rough to turn off. Sara and I upped our training sessions," Kendra said, cracking her knuckles. "But I'm still on edge."

Ray smiled, "I don't think that'll be a problem." He pressed the button that should have opened Kendra's door, but instead, a loud voice began echoing through the hallways

_Did you ever know that you're my hero?_

_You're everything I wish I could be._

Kendra covered her ears, her eyes wide, "What the hell is happening?"

"I have no idea!" Ray shouted, pressing the button again. Her door still didn't open, and the music just kept going. Stein and Jax both opened their doors, poking their heads out into the hall.

_I could fly higher than an eagle_

"Some people are trying to work here," Stein shouted.

"It wasn't me!" Ray answered. "I was just opening the door!"

_'cause you are the wind beneath my wings._

_Did I ever tell you you're my hero?_

Jax began laughing, "Man, this is awesome."

"I fail to see how this is awesome!" Stein shouted back at his partner.

_You're everything, everything I wish I could be._

_Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle_

"You've been pranked!" Jax explained, shouting over the music. "Someone got you good."

_'cause you are the wind beneath my wings,_

_'cause you are the wind beneath my wings._

Ray sighed in relief when the music stopped, then looked at Jax, who was still chuckling, "Was it you?"

"Nah, but I wish it was." He came over and pulled off the panel controlling Ray's door. One look and Ray could see what had happened. Someone had simply rewired the door to Gideon's intercom, and somehow set it off to play music when he pressed it.

"Who the hell would take the time to do this?" Ray asked.

Kendra was smiling - that was good, at least - "We're all going crazy on this boat with nothing to do."

"So," Ray said, thinking, "Did someone just start a war?"

Jax grinned as Kendra's eyes suddenly turned cautious, "Ray, think about who could have done this."

"Oh, I am."

"Do you really want to go up against them?" she asked him.

His grin got wider. "Come on. We've got planning to do."

"I'm in," Jax immediately said.

Stein shook his head. "No, thank you."

Kendra followed the two of them into Jax's room, "This is going to end badly."

* * *

Sara and Leonard, around the corner of the hallway, had heard the entire exchange. She was grinning, her eyes bright with mischief as she tried to stifle her laughter. Leonard only began to really smile when he heard Ray's challenge. Once the doors closed, the two of them crept back down to Rip's study.

"Nice work," she told him.

"I've been rewiring security systems since I was seven. A door was no problem. Your choice of song was fairly on point."

She gave him a little bow. "Thanks."

"Palmer is going to come after us."

Sara waved her hand. "Let him. Let's do this fast, then we'll worry about him."

A few minutes later, Sara was keeping watch while Leonard was underneath Rip's console in his study, his legs peeking out from beneath the table.

"How'd you think of this one?" Sara asked him quietly, her eyes on the hallway.

"It's from a show. We're time traveling. He's a Time Master." Leonard shrugged from underneath the table. "Seemed appropriate."

"I never pegged you as a TV guy."

"My grandfather was," Leonard answered, his voice growing strained as he pushed the panel back into place. "Lisa and I lived with him for a while when dear old Dad was doing time. He'd somehow gotten the channel and we watched it with him. I enjoyed it as a kid, got more of the jokes when I grew up. Once we moved out, I did my best to keep up with it, but it's been a while since I've seen any."

Sara grinned, "Too busy saving the world."

"Saving, robbing. Something like that." He crawled out from underneath the console. "All set, here. Remind me again why this is such a big deal?"

She took in a breath to respond, then froze, hearing footsteps. "He's coming, hide!"

Leonard looked bemused as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the small closet off of Rip's study. "You're taking this very serious-"

"Shh!" She covered his mouth with her hand and kept the door open a crack to see Rip walk in and sit at his desk with a sigh. She let go of Leonard's mouth so she could peer through the small gap, wanting to catch Rip's reaction.

Coming up behind her, Leonard rested his arm on the jamb, leaning over her shoulder to watch. Sara was suddenly very aware of how small this closet was and how warm Leonard seemed to be. The whole dark area seemed full of his subtle cologne – faint traces of pine and wood smoke that reminded her of the time her father had taken them camping in the fall. It had been freezing, but once they'd had a fire going, it had been one of the best weekends of her life. His breath on the side of her face made goosebumps appear on her arms, but luckily, it was too dark to see.

Rip rubbed his eyes and leaned forward. "Gideon, can you please check the timeline for any sign of Savage?"

Instead of Gideon's calming tone, all ears in the vicinity were assaulted by a sound Sara had never heard before.

_DOOOWEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

On the screen, hovering above the desk, images of a bright blue phone box flying through a colorful wormhole appeared, the music - if one could call it that - never stopping.

_WEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"What the bloody hell-"

It stopped suddenly, the silence almost startling in its suddenness. Rip stood in his study, staring at where the images had been, unable to move for a moment. Sara giggled, unable to help it when Rip looked like he'd been smacked in the face. Leonard slipped his hand around her shoulder and covered her mouth this time, murmuring in her ear. "Quiet or he'll hear us." The smoky tone made it sound like they were doing something very different than playing a prank.

For a moment, she wanted to. If she turned around, right now, he'd be so close there'd be no mistaking what she was asking for.

When she nodded, Leonard let go of her. Sara tried not to dwell on how her lips and cheek tingled from where he'd touched her and she resisted the urge to lean back into him. She was supposed to be distracting Leonard from his past, not complicated his present. So she remained still, watching Rip eye the console hesitantly before trying again.

"Gideon, can you-"

_DOOOWEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

Even Leonard grinned that time.

* * *

That evening, Sara kicked his door, her hands too full to knock.

Leonard opened it up, raising his brow to see her burdened with beer, a bowl of popcorn, and a blanket. "I don't do sleepovers. At least, not ones that involve actual sleeping."

"Oh, shut up." She pushed past him and into his room, dragging his desk chair over next to the bed. She plunked down on it, curling her feet up and pulling the blanket over her lap. "Sit," she told him, pointing at the bed.

"This is my room," he reminded her, still doing as she said and sitting up on the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah." She popped off the tops of two bottles, putting the rest on the floor within reach and handing one to him. "Gideon?"

"Yes, Ms. Lance?"

"Can you pull it up, please?" she asked, ignoring Leonard's questioning gaze.

"Certainly."

On the bare wall above Leonard's desk, Gideon began projecting the intro of a blue, British phone box, flying through the air, with the same song they had pranked Rip with. At a moderate decibel, it wasn't quite as obnoxious. Leonard sat up, his brows lifting slightly.

"How did you find this?" he asked her, leaning more comfortably against his headboard.

"Gideon has all sorts of things in her hard drive," Sara explained.

His only response was, "Huh." Then he fell into silence watching the show.

Sara wouldn't have been interested in this before. Time travel, aliens, a man whose weapon was a screwdriver – none of that was really her forte. But the plot was exciting, the characters drew her in, and even more so, it gave her ample time to watch Leonard.

He was enraptured by the show, his eyes fixed on the projection. Sara had never seen him quite so relaxed – his eyes and mouth losing the lines that had been around them since Mick's betrayal. She could see how this would appeal to him, though. A man who'd stolen a time traveling space ship, meeting new people and using superior intellect rather than violence to get in and out of sticky situations? That was right up Leonard's alley. Brains over brawn. She smiled in his direction, happy to see him content. It was worth the effort.

"You're not watching," he drawled, still not looking over at her.

Sara grinned and faced the projector.

They watched three episodes before Sara's back began to cramp. She stood, the clunky desk chair not made for long periods of sitting, and stretched, arching her back to get rid of the kinks. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the large expanse of bed that was available and made her decision. Grabbing the popcorn and another beer, she moved over to the side of Leonard's bed. "Shove over."

He did, but added, "You know, if you'd wanted to get into my bed, you didn't need to go to all this work. A simple, 'Leonard, you were right from the beginning – divert me,' would have sufficed."

"In your dreams," Sara retorted easily, getting comfortable next to him. Their shoulders were touching, but it was relaxed.

"In my dreams, there's very little talking from either of us," Leonard countered, his smirk apparent.

Sara grinned, falling into the playful banter. "They must be dreams, then. Because I'm a talker. And I like it even more when my partner is, too."

"I'll keep that in mind."

For a moment, Sara imagined what it would be like to hear obscene things whispered in Leonard's careful speech. Drawling indecent words over her skin and in her ears, with his fingers trailing in their wake. Blue eyes staring into hers, seeing far more than he should, more than she wanted to show, and always knowing what she needed to hear.

She shivered and Leonard misinterpreted. He leaned over her and grabbed the blanket she'd tossed at the foot of the bed, draping it over her legs. "Here."

"Thanks." She shouldn't be thinking about Leonard that way. Flirting was one thing, but actually falling for him? That would be the opposite of making his life better.

"Think you'd be prepared, coming into Captain Cold's room," he said lowly, talking over the intro of the next episode.

Sara glared at him, "I was prepared."

"Mhmm."

"Shut up," she grumbled.

He chuckled quietly and Sara gave into temptation, leaning against his side as the next episode began. Before the next on had ended, he'd wrapped his arm around her ("You were bogarting the popcorn," he'd argued), and Sara had curled into him more ("My back hurts from your stupid chair," she'd complained).

"Why is watching TV so exhausting?" she mumbled after the sixth episode, half asleep. "My bed is miles away."

"It's across the hall."

"Leagues."

"Says the highly trained, dangerous assassin," he chuckled.

She merely groaned.

"Sleep here then, if you'd like," Leonard said easily, his arm still around her as the credits for the episode began rolling.

"I would, but you need to get some sleep," Sara grinned, then forced herself up, leaving the warm embrace of Leonard's arm and side. It was a lot more difficult than she thought it would be. But just because he kept her from becoming a monster didn't mean he should be with whatever she was now.

"Suit yourself." He stretched on the bed, and Sara was tempted to stop and stay at the sight of his lean figure.

"Night, crook," Sara murmured from the door.

"Goodnight, assassin."


	2. Chapter 2

"Now, I know it can be frustrating to be inactive." Rip's eyes traveled round the room, resting on two individuals in particular. "But we can't allow ourselves to resort to base humor."

The entire crew was gathered for their post-breakfast meeting. When they had a mission, it was usually schematics and planning, but in the Between, it was mostly just housekeeping. Ray and Kendra were sitting up straight in their jump seats, Martin stood on the end of the console, across from Rip. Jax was leaning on one of the chairs from behind.

Sara had slouched in her seat, wishing she'd pocketed Leonard's knife. Rip had been lecturing them for a good ten minutes already, and it was clearly aimed at herself. Having heard dozens of these types of lectures from her father, sister, and even Oliver, Sara was good at ignoring them. However, she had to give credit where credit was due. She was good.

Leonard was a pro.

Lounging in his seat with his foot propped up on his knee, he went beyond the bored indifference that Sara had perfected. His expression was one of open and clear disdain, staring at Rip with no hint of remorse, his eyes rolling up and the loud sigh painfully obvious that he could not care less.

Sara pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, watching Rip have a minor conniption through her lashes.

Jax snickered, Martin casting a glare at his partner. "I agree with Mr. Hunter. These pranks have been distracting."

"From what?" Ray piped up. "The endless abyss of nothingness?"

"Dark, Palmer." Leonard turned to regard the usually buoyant scientist. "I like it."

"Whether or not we have a mission, I expect you all to remain vigilant," Rip said. "Ms. Lance, you and Ms. Saunders could be training."

"We are," Kendra argued.

"There's always the option of more."

Sara scoffed, "Not without risking an injury. We've increased our spars already."

Rip visibly reigned in his temper. "Mr. Snart, you could be improving your cold gun."

"It's a cold gun. It freezes things. Think I've reached the limit, there." Leonard rose to his feet with a haughty look. "Face it, Rip. Master of Time, or not, you can't schedule every moment for us. The girls are training, Martin's been locked in his room doing who knows what."

"I've been trying to calculate where-"

"Don't care," Leonard cut in. "I've cased every inch of this ship. Jax has been keeping us flying, so to speak. You're planning. The only person who could have something to do is Ray."

"Excuse me?" Ray sounded offended.

"We've been honing our skills," Leonard explained. "You just let your suit do all the work for you. So unless you're improving that…my point stands."

Sara watched Ray's mouth gape soundlessly for three seconds, before he stuttered out, "I'm working on something big."

"Sure." Leonard's smile was condescending at best. He looked back at Rip. "If you're through with the lecture, there are more important things that require my time, Time Master."

Rip gaped soundlessly as Leonard walked out. The others took it as a signal to leave, though Ray needed some prodding from Kendra to get up and move. Seeing that she was the last one left with Rip, Sara tried to slip out with Jax, but she was too late.

"Ms. Lance, a word."

Exhaling through her nose, Sara stopped and turned to face the captain. He pressed a few things on the console, making her wait. With an audible sigh, Sara crossed her arms and drew his attention.

"I've noticed you and Mr. Snart have developed a bond."

She cocked her head and remained silent, forcing him to continue on his own.

"I hope that you will take care. Proceed with caution." He was obviously trying to hint at something, but Sara refused to understand him.

"Is this where you warn me that if I break his heart, you've got a gun, a shovel, and a lot of empty land?" she teased.

Rip's smile was reluctantly given and faded quickly. "I was more concerned for you."

"So...between the master assassin and petty thief, you think I'm the one in danger?"

The startled look she received clearly showed that Rip hadn't considered it from that perspective. Unable to resist, Sara added, "Are you just naturally sexist or does that come with the time-traveling?"

"I was merely expressing my concern. Mr. Snart is-"

"A good guy."

"A thief."

"The very fact for which you hired him," Sara argued. "And you're happy about it when you need something stolen, but you use it as an insult every other time. You can't have it both ways."

Flustered and frustrated, Rip's careful speech fell apart. "If you two are involved, then I need to-"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Sara's voice lost its teasing edge, her eyes cutting into Rip. "If Leonard and I are involved, it's no one's business but ours." Rip opened his mouth to make a comment, but she spoke over him, taking a step forward and crowding him against the desk. "You aren't my dad, you aren't my family, and if you want my respect, _Captain_ ," she spat out with contempt, "you'll remember exactly who you hired and why."

She didn't blink until Rip finally responded, "My apologies, Ms. Lance. I was out of line."

"Damn right you were." Sara took a step back and allowed him to breathe.

"Regardless of your relationship, or lack thereof," he corrected quickly, "I hope you will keep Mr. Snart's antics under control."

"Seeing as how the antics were my idea, I doubt it."

He huffed, "Ms. Lance, I must insist. A woman of your skills should be training, I'm sure the League-"

"The League," she laughed. "When we were trapped inside Nanda Parbat because of the snow, the League would pit us against one another. We were killers and we trained to do exactly that. Every bad storm left our numbers slightly fewer." She gave Rip a thin smile, "I think a few harmless pranks are more than reasonable. Unless you really want me to train like a killer?"

Stuck between a rock and a bloody alternative, Rip made the wise choice. "Of course not. Just try to keep me out of it."

"No promises." Sara left the bridge, allowing Rip to return to his office. Just a few steps into the hallway, Sara's instincts kicked in and she spun to face the person behind her. Relaxing almost instantly, she continued down the hall. "It's rude to eavesdrop."

"Yet so informative," Leonard sad without shame. He fell into step beside her. "I enjoy someone else taking Rip down a peg."

Sara shook her head with a smirk. "What was so informative about that? Other than that Rip thinks we're being juvenile."

"He only thinks I'm juvenile. He thinks you're perfect."

"How come that sounds like an insult?"

"One, because it's Rip who thinks it. Two, because perfect is boring. And you aren't."

Only Leonard could make being imperfect sound preferable to the alternative. When she only smile, he continued.

"And I learned that the only thing that riles up Rip more than pranks, is the idea that his perfect Sara and I might be involved."

She hadn't noticed it before, but whenever Leonard used her first name, he elongated the "s." It sounded like Sssara, calling to mind snakes and secrets and stealing and se-

Stopping that train of thought, she cut her eyes at him. "I'm not his anything. And I think it's more of a "I-don't-want-my-difficult-team-complicated-even-more" thing."

"Oh, I don't care why it upsets him," Leonard said. "Only that it does. And since you're so keen on pranks…"

She faced forward, knowing without looking that he was casting that now familiar dark look her way. Returning their conversation to easy banter, she avoided it, "I'm hurt, you only using me for a prank."

"Did I say only?" he asked quietly.

She once again fell silent, unsure how to respond and allowing Leonard to take the lead. Comments like that were making it more and more difficult for her to stop considering Leonard as only a friend. But he needed her as a friend, some constant in his life to keep him from withdrawing from everything again. A relationship, if he even really wanted that and not just sex, would add far more complications than he needed, or than she could handle right now. She could sleep with people without strings or emotions, and had done so before to the satisfaction of all involved. But that arrangement wouldn't work with Leonard. She was already tangled up with him and his feelings. She cared about him. Anything more than this might ruin what they had and she wasn't going to risk it.

No matter how much it intrigued her.

"Where are we going?" She realized that this wasn't the route to either of their rooms, the storage bay, or the gym, the places they usually spent their days. The only thing this way was the tech lab.

"I paid a visit to Palmer's tech last night," Leonard said, his voice dropping.

She his a frown. She'd hoped the tv and drinks had been enough to mellow him out to sleep. Her own sleep pattern was abnormal - a few hours here and there punctuated by nightmares - but she was used to it. What she wasn't used to was having to share the kitchen with anyone at three in the morning. And yet, it had happened more than once with Leonard.

"Oh?" was all she said.

He cast her a smirk and cautioned silence as they rounded the corner. Sara could make out the voices of Ray and Jax.

"...working on a way to get bigger, rather than smaller." Faint grunts punctuated Ray's comments as he undoubtedly worked his way into his suit. "And if I can do that-"

"You mean, if you don't explode," Jax interrupted.

"Exactly. I'll be able to throw it in Snart's face."

Sara exchanged a raised brow with Leonard, who simply shrugged.

"All right," Ray said, taking a deep breath. "Let's test this. Three. Two. One."

_Tiny soldiers, with little guns_

_Little tanks, no bigger than your thumb_

_They want you_

"Oh, come one!" Ray shouted over the music and Jax's laughter.

Leonard turned the corner, already speaking. "See, Palmer, this what happens when you let people get under your skin. You have to learn how to be...cool."

Rolling her eyes, Sara followed him, amused by the music and Ray's face. He was pressing the button to make his suit smaller, apparently the action that had started the music, but to no avail.

"What did you do to my suit?" Ray asked.

"Relax," Leonard drawled, coming nearer. "I just installed a pressure panel behind the chestplate. Seconds to install."

"For an engineer," Jax muttered, appraising Leonard with some respect.

Ray's frown faded slightly. "But the lab is locked at night. And my suit is in a locked case."

"Have you met Snart?" Sara asked from the door.

Realized the foolishness of his comment, Ray sighed. "Fine. You win this round. But you just wait, the challengers are coming."

"In order to be challengers," Leonard said with an arrogant smile, "wouldn't you have to be participating?"

Jax glared, but Sara could see an eagerness. With a wave, Leonard left, passing Sara in the doorway.

"Ray?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to Sara.

"If you had gotten larger," she observed, "wouldn't it have destroyed the tech lab, Jax, and possibly the whole ship?"

The blank look assured her that he hadn't thought of it. "Um."

"Great." She shook her head and left the still-singing suit. For a genius, Ray was sometimes a dumbass.

_Little people with tiny brains…_

* * *

Sara, not inclined to sleep that night, read until long after the others had gone off to bed. She kept the door to her room open, glancing up as the rest of the team filed past one by one. She wished them a goodnight, but stayed where she was.

"'Night, birdy."

She tried, and failed, not to smile at the stupid nickname. "Goodnight, Len."

Soon, she was the only awake. Or at least, the only one still visibly awake. What the others did in their rooms was up to them. She tried to convince herself she wasn't watching for anyone in particular, but that was a lie.

Three hours, and eight chapters later, Sara head a near-silent release of air. She glanced up, making her page and saw Leonard leaving his room.

"Can't sleep?" she called. This was why she'd left the door open - he as quiet as she was and with the door night, she would've missed him.

Pausing at the door, he glanced inside, but didn't cross the threshold. "Apparently, I'm not the only one."

"Well," she said, dropping the book and lowering her legs off the bed to face him, "you know what they say, no rest for the wicked."

"Then why are you awake?" He finally moved into the room, but lingered by the exit.

She scoffed, "He said to the assassin."

"I'm an excellent judge of character."

"Only the very best of the very worst for you?"

"Exactly." He had relaxed slightly, but was still tapping his fingers against the wall.

Sara had the beginnings of a plan from this afternoon, and ran with it now. "How much would you gloat if I asked for your help?"

A flicker of interest and his tapping stilled. "Only a slightly inappropriate amount." He stepped in nearer. "Why?"

"You got into the tech lab by picking the lock."

He didn't answer, both of them knowing it was a fact.

"I'd like to learn how to do that."

"Pick locks or upset Palmer?"

"Both."

"Why?" he asked. She knew he didn't mean about Ray.

She shrugged. "I'm bored. I want to do something. You're awake."

He arched a brow. "And what if it had been Rip who had walked by your door?"

"I would've talked to him for two minutes. That would put me to sleep."

The smirk drew a smile out of her as well. He glanced back at his door, then said, "Just a minute."

He vanished within, before returning with a medium sized padlock and a few small strips of metal. Gesturing towards the desk, he ordered, "Sit."

Knowing that she asked for this, she does as he says and Leonard quickly explains the lock picks and the basics. Then he sets her loose. Sara fumbles around as Leonard wanders her room, before collapsing on her bed. She glanced back to make sure he wasn't getting shoeprints on her comforter. He had his ankles crossed just over the edge of the bed and put his hands behind his head. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping.

Sara worked at the lock for a good ten minutes in silence, but grew more and more frustrated. As she passed the fifteen minute mark, and the lock still stubbornly refused to open, she dropped the picks with a huff. "I can't do it."

"Not like you to give up, birdy," Leonard observed, his eyes still closed.

"Not like you to be encouraging," she retorted, half in anger and half in frustration.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Leonard stood and came over to her chair. "Grab the picks, assassin."

"Len."

"Humor me."

That was, supposedly, her goal. Picking up the slim metal with a sigh, she said, "It's not my thing. Give me a knife any day, but not-"

Leonard leaned over her chair, covering her hands with his own to maneuver the picks. He rested his chin on her shoulder, arms pressing along the length of hers and her fingers invariably caught.

Physical contact seemed to leave Leonard uncomfortable, so Sara tried to keep from initiating it. A few exceptions, grabbing his hand or when they drank, but Leonard was always the first to move. Not because men made the first move, but out of respect to him. For her own part, Sara was a very tactile person once she got to know them. And Leonard -

"Focus," he said in her ear.

Stifling a shiver, she nodded and dragged her attention to what he was doing, rather than the smell of his cologne or the warmth of his fingers or -

 _Focus_.

"Locks, unlike people," Leonard said, manipulating the picks with ease, "don't care if you've got a key. Not if you can do the same things. Results over resources."

She could appreciate that, especially from a man with a background like him.

"It takes patience and calmness." He guided her hand to grab a third pick.

"Neither of which I have," Sara commented, hoping her voice sounded calm.

He chuckled and a rush of heat surged through her. She held her breath until she was under control.

"Even the most violent storms have a calm center," he said.

"Read that off a fortune cookie?"

"Perhaps." He sounded calmer and more distracted, focusing on his task. "There," he breathed. He moved impossibly closer and shifted one pick an iota, if that. "Feel that?" He repeated the gesture.

It was subtle. If she exhaled too strongly, she'd miss it, that faintest of hitches in the lock. Nodding might ruin it, so she whispered, "Yeah."

Leonard guided her hand, applying just the slightest pressure. With a click that resounded in the quiet room, the tumbler slid into place and the lock popped open.

With a sense of accomplishment that seemed almost inappropriate, Sara grinned and turned to face Leonard. "I did it!"

He smiled and Sara realized how close he was to her. His eyes dropped briefly before he answered, "You're on your way to becoming a master thief, assassin." Leonard's hands still held hers, though she had dropped her picks the moment the lock opened. His fingers, not much larger than hers, seemed to engulf her hand. Not since the League had she felt so simultaneously scared and excited, though there was more to it.

"One lock hardly makes me a thief," she said, gently pulling free.

Leonard's hands tightened almost imperceptibly before he let her go. His step back allowed her enough room to breathe, but only barely. "I said on your way. Besides, why would I teach you all I know?" He looked at his empty hand with a strange focus. "You'd have no use for me."

She laughed at the idea she'd become as good a thief as he was, then considered the rest of his statement. "I don't need to have a use for you to want to be friends, Len."

The disbelief was apparent and Sara hated it. Grabbing a piece of paper, she wrote out a few lines and handed it to him.

A quick glance at it only made him frown and look at her. "What is this?"

"My dad's address in Star City."

His frown only deepened.

"When all of this is over, or if we get blasted back in time by some freaky wormhole," she explained, "I'll be there. Not forever, so you'll have to move fast. But I'll leave my new address, wherever it is, behind."

He folded and unfolded the paper. "Why?"

Sara stared at him in disbelief. "We're friends, Len. Whether we're on the Waverider or back in 2016."

Pocketing the paper, he moved the conversation back. "You do realize you just gave a master thief your dad's address?"

"You do realize it's the address of a master assassin's dad?"

"Good point." His smile was brief and he glanced at the lock and picks on the table. "Keep practicing with those until you can do it with your eyes closed."

"Will there be a test?"

"With a blindfold."

"Kinky."

"Always."

Sara's smile was widened by Leonard's sudden yawn. He smothered it quickly, but it was there.

And it was contagious. Her yawn was even less expected, but Leonard saw and smirked. "Apparently even assassins need their rest. And here I thought you ran off of spite and the smell of leather."

"Mostly. But every now and then, I need some real sleep."

"Sure you're going to get it tonight?" Leonard asked, carefully looking away.

Obviously, she wasn't the only one who was aware of sleepless teammates. Touched by his concern, but aware he didn't want to appear concerned at all, Sara just said, "Pretty sure."

"Good." He moved to the door. "Night, assassin."

"Sleep well, crook."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the update took so long! I hit a wall, then I hit a creative burst, but at the end, so that wasn't helpful. Tomorrow, I leave for SDCC, so I really wanted to give you guys something. Upside, there's definitely a plot and an arc in my mind now.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> DC's Legends of Tomorrow belong to their respective creators.
> 
> "Little Guns" belongs to Oingo Boingo.
> 
> I own nothing of value. I'm doing this for purely entertainment purposes.


	3. Chapter 3

They had a kitchen, an amazing medical bay, a high tech lab for computing and engineering, and an AI that was almost terrifyingly human. And yet, they had a communal bathroom.

It reminded Sara of her high school days after PE, when all the girls would use the opportunity to judge and discriminate. She had the privilege, the responsibility, the shame, of being an attractive blonde, even in high school, which put her in a position of power. She didn't tease any of the other girls, but she didn't stop the ones who called themselves her friends. At least, they were her friends right up until she was caught making out with Natalie Spitz, the head cheerleader. Then she too had descended into the unspeakables, even worse than the others, but Sara gave as good as she got. As their friend, the attractive girls had confided in her, and Sara used their secrets to keep them at a distance. It worked, but it left her a pariah for her senior year, despite being popular outside of school. And with all the boys.

Suffice it to say, Sara hated communal showers. So she got up earlier than everyone else to use them. The showers were partitioned off, so even if someone else were in there, no one would be able to see anything (not that they would try to take a look), but she felt more comfortable alone.

She finished up fairly quickly, only special occasions inclined to make her dawdle in the steam. Toweling off and changing into the clothes she brought, she headed back out, unsurprised to see Leonard coming down the hallway.

"Do you have a thing against sleep?" he grumbled, looking over her already clean and dressed figure.

"It's boring."

"So's floating around here constantly." Leonard glanced at the walls. "If we don't get out soon, I'm going to have to get creative."

"Still have some teammates to prank," Sara reminded him.

He nodded, "We do. We'll talk over breakfast."

"Sounds good. Enjoy your shower."

"You can always join me."

Sara smiled and walked past him, back towards her room.

Halfway there, Sara was startled to see Ray, Kendra, and Jax heading down, the bags under their eyes indicating they hadn't slept much either. "What are you all doing up?" She enjoyed her quiet morning time before the rest of the team appeared.

"Nothing," Jax answered, too quickly. Ray glanced at his watch. Kendra colored slightly.

"Dammit," Sara muttered, dropping her towel and caddy, turning to head back to the showers. The others followed on her heels.

She got to the bathroom and threw open the door. She shouted, "Len!" just as the water turned on and a woman's voice echoed against the tile.

 _The snow glows white on the mountain tonight_  
Not a footprint to be seen  
A kingdom of isolation,  
And it looks like I'm the queen.

Underneath the brief instrumental bit, Sara heard Leonard's curse, "Fucking kidding me?!"

Sara was frozen in the door of the bathroom, Ray, Kendra and Jax just behind her.

Len came out of the shower in just a towel and Sara couldn't help her eyes widening. For someone who wore so many layers, she hadn't been expecting the lean muscled frame. She stared at the V near his hips, the lyrical talents of Idina Menzel still echoing through the bathroom.

_The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside  
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!_

Water clung to his hair and shoulders, trailing down over his chest to the his lean hips and absorbed by the towel precariously wrapped there. He wasn't built like Mick, his frame not right for that type of muscle, but he looked damn good for a man who seemed to avoid physical activity. Just enough for what he needed and not a bit more.

"Palmer," Leonard growled, his eyes cutting like ice chips.

"Hey," Ray said, sounding less than confident. "You said you wanted a challenge."

"Right now, the challenge is going to be how far you can get before I can get dressed and grab my gun."

"Hey, man, it's just a prank," Jax said.

 _Don't let them in, don't let them see_  
Be the good girl you always have to be  
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know  
Well, now they know!

Kendra snorted at the music, unable to hold in her amusement any longer.

Leonard's eyes flickered towards her, but softened slightly, falling into the prank. It didn't stop him from looking back at Jax and Ray. "You've got two minutes. I'd get moving."

"Come on, Snart-"

"A minute and 55 seconds."

 _Let it go, let it go_  
Can't hold it back anymore  
Let it go, let it go  
Turn away and slam the door!

They took the advice of the song and turned tail, Kendra still giggling, but Ray and Jax looking sufficiently nervous. Sara stepped aside as the door swung shut, leaving the two of them alone.

"I tried to warn you," Sara said.

He waved his hand, "They were bound to get lucky. We'll get them back. After I get dressed." He turned away, done with the conversation and pointedly ignoring the music that was still playing.

Sara caught sight of his back. Though it was as toned as the rest of him, what caught her attention were the white lines and divots that punctuated his skin. The biggest began at his hip and worked up towards the opposite shoulder. One small cluster on his side looked like bullet holes. A few on his shoulder looked like cigarette burns.

She must have made a sound, because Leonard flinched and glanced back. She couldn't get rid of the sorrow in her eyes fast enough and he saw.

His eyes went hard and shuttered, his mouth twisted into a sneer, "Not a pretty sight, is it?"

"Len."

"Get out."

"Just wait-"

"Out, Lance." He vanished behind the partition and the only thing that broke the silence was the sound of water hitting tile and the music that still echoed out.

 _I don't care_  
What they're going to say  
Let the storm rage on,  
The cold never bothered me anyway!

* * *

That was five hours ago.

The Waverider was small and yet she hadn't seen Leonard since this morning. The others had been avoiding him, which meant they were useless. Sara had searched everywhere she could think of and had found no sign of him. She even went so far as to check that the jump ship was still in place. With every passing moment, she was getting more and more annoyed.

Desperate for somewhere to vent her feelings, she changed into loose clothes and went into the gym, pouring her annoyance out on the dummies and the mat. Kendra ducked her head in, but left once she saw Sara's energy and heard the loud music. So, when the next person opened the door, Sara merely ignored them, hoping there were as smart as Kendra and would leave her alone.

When no one spoke or left, Sara turned, her glare already in place. It solidified when Leonard was standing there, his arms crossed and safely clad in dark thermal once more. She didn't speak, turning back to the punching bag.

"Hiding?" he finally asked.

Sara scoffed, flipping the sweaty edge of her ponytail over her shoulder and remaining silent. _She_ was hiding?

The music quieted and she glared as he turned down the speaker, Sara's heavy breathing sounding louder in the hush. Irritated, her decision to ignore him was overruled by her annoyance. "Did you need something or were you going to kick me out of here, too?"

"Still angry about that, I see." Leonard walked quietly towards the center of the room, not moving directly towards her, but closer nonetheless. "Never mind that _I_ was the one exposed."

"Doesn't mean you need to be a dick about it. I didn't prank you."

"No. But you saw and you…" He smiled coldly, aiming his gaze somewhere over her shoulder. "I despise pity."

"I don't pity you."

He glanced up, surprise softening his visage for a moment. Sara walked past him towards her towel, wiping her face before continuing. "You had a shit life. I know it. If your dad wasn't already dead, I'd do it for you, pro bono, for what he did to you. But your scars-"

"Are my failures," Leonard cut in sharply. "It shows weakness."

"No," Sara disagreed, dropping her towel. "Your scars are your strength. Someone hurt you and you kept going. That's not weakness, Len."

He isn't convinced, she can see that. So she sighs and crosses over to him, lifting the hem of her loose top to the bottom of her rib cage. She can tell he's about to make a comment, so she draws his attention to the thin white line that goes from her rib to her hip. "This is from when the _Gambit_ sank. I ran off with my big sister's boyfriend. She was in love with him, and I knew it, and I ran off with him anyway, because I was jealous. You want to talk about weakness? I brought that on myself because I was selfish. That's weak."

Before she could lower her shirt again, his fingers reach out, hovering over a cluster of puckered scars in her abdomen. He doesn't touch her, but he might as well have, for the heat that's radiating off him sinks through her pores and into her bones. "And those?"

"Those are how I died."

He drops his hand and Sara takes a step back, letting her shirt cover her skin once more as she tries to get some air into her lungs. He glances up at her, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry you got hurt," Sara says honestly. "But I don't pity you. And I won't. No matter what you tell me or show me. Just...putting that out there."

Grabbing her towel and music, she headed to the door.

"Birdy," Leonard called after her, "I…" He trailed off, faint frown lines appearing between his eyes.

"I get it." She draws his gaze again and shrugs. "I do."

Remaining silent, Len doesn't move. That's probably as good as she's going to get, so Sara nods with a forced smile and leaves him alone.

He doesn't need to kick her out this time.

* * *

Dinner is quiet. Rip is busy in his office and Martin's presence is barely noticed as he buries his nose in his notebook. Ray and Jax run in and grab something quickly, clearly anxious to return to their slightly more secure bedrooms. Kendra and Sara are the only ones at the table with nothing to distract them. Leonard never makes an appearance.

She manages to return to her room shortly after dinner and finishes a few more chapters of her book. A knock on her open door drags her eyes upwards and she sees Leonard at the threshold, holding a deck of cards.

"Fancy a game?" he asks.

Part of her wants to say no, still a little bitter from earlier. But the larger part knows that this is exactly what she had been hoping to do - be there for him when he needed it. So she nods, closing the book and making room for him on the bench seat. He saunters over and shuffles in silence. Unusual for him - usually he's gloating over all the money he thinks he'll be taking from her in poker. Sara hides her frown as they start, her raising the bet and him matching it. When it comes to show their cards, Leonard lays down two pairs. Sara reveals three nines and he shakes his head.

"You win, Lance." But he doesn't lay down any money. Not that it's a big deal; she doesn't need his money. Especially seeing as how most of it isn't his at all. But it's unusual, again. She frowns, reaching for the cards, but pauses as he shifts.

He gestures to his shoulder, the too obvious cigarette burns hidden by his thermal but ingrained in her memory.

"He used to use me as an ashtray." It's said quickly and flatly, and he nods at her to deal.

Sara does, realizing the importance of this now and finding her irritation fading by the minute. He wasn't shutting her out, but he wasn't comfortable just sitting around talking about it. She could work with this.

Losing the next hand, Sara passes the cards to him and rolls up her pant leg. Leonard inhales, probably going to say she didn't need to, but she shakes her head and he remains silent. The scar is thin, but wraps almost all the way around her leg. "I pissed off Ras. He had three of the assassins on me before I could move."

Leonard whistles lowly and Sara has to share two more scars before he loses again. He hesitates, but points to the cluster on his side. "A heist went bad. Cops were called in and we were surrounded. Dad needed a distraction so he could get away."

She shakes her head, starting to see red. She didn't pity Leonard - she respected him too much. But she was seriously starting to hate his father. Shooting your own son?

As the next hand is dealt out, Sara asks, "Does your cold gun kill quickly?"

"Almost instantly."

"Too bad. Wish I'd gotten to him first."

He chuckles lowly, but it fades. "I'm glad you didn't." He takes another card from her. "Wouldn't want you to see any family resemblance."

She takes another card, keeping her eyes on her hand. "You're nothing like him, Len."

When she looks up, his eyes are on her, the unfathomable blue deeper and more mysterious than any ocean. "Call?"

She sees his bet and raises him, but loses with her straight.

"I'm running out," she admits. There are dozens of scars, but none worth the story. None worth what he's sharing with her.

Leonard gathered up the cards. "You died. I've heard that part. But coming back?"

She chews her bottom lip, her heart already racing at the thought of the Lazarus Pit. She doesn't want to think about it, but she wants to share it with him, nonetheless. So she stares at his hands as he deals out the cards again.

"It hurt. Much more than dying did. It was wrong and unnatural and it hurt. I couldn't remember my family or friends. I couldn't even remember myself. I was lost." She picked up the cards he pushes towards her, but didn't really see them. "I don't remember it, but sometimes I dream about it. Being ripped out of someplace quiet and through the fire and it just doesn't go away. And sometimes, I'm in a coffin, but I'm awake and I can't breathe. I can't get out." Her hands shake and she puts the cards down, pretending that he didn't see it. "For a long time, I wished they'd just left me dead."

Leonard puts his cards down and sighs. Leaning back in his seat, he rests his head against the wall and closes his eyes. "He's dead. Has been for a while. But sometimes I still think I can hear him, coming up the stairs. And it's like I'm a kid again."

She turns, pressing her back against the wall to face into the room. "No wonder we don't sleep."

They sit in silence for some time. Sara still takes care not to look at him, though his eyes are still closed. Quietly, she admits, "Coming back was worse than dying. For a long time, it wasn't worth it. I didn't think I was worth it." She doesn't turn her head, but she knows his eyes are open. "But being here, being with...it's worth it now."

"For whatever it's worth, coming from a crook," Leonard murmurs, "I'm glad you're not dead, birdy."

"Coming from a crook and aimed at an assassin?" Sara smiles faintly. "It's worth a lot."

He chuckles and the two of them avoid nightmares.

* * *

Despite her late night, Sara was still up before everyone else, getting out of the shower and dressed before seven. She's startled as she returns to her room and sees Leonard waiting outside of it. Slowing her pace, she sees a towel and caddy folded and waiting - clearly he was heading to the shower.

"If you were going to ask me to join you, you're a little late," Sara says as she walks up to him.

His smirk is slow. "I'll be sure to get up earlier. But I had something else in mind." He gestures with his hand for her to walk in front of him, so she does.

"Where are we going?"

"Jax's room."

Sara casts a grin over her shoulder at him. "Oh?"

"It's time for a little payback."

She smirks and hurries to their destination. Once there, she looks expectantly at Leonard, who brandishes a small remote that looks more like a garage door opener. "Would you like to do the honors?" he asks.

"Oh, no. This is all you." She leans against the wall opposite Jax's room, her arms crossed. Leonard joins her and without any ceremony, presses the button.

Heavy bass and guitar come screaming out of Jax's room, accompanied by a woman's high, but powerful voice, cutting through the metal door and walls.

_I am the fire_

_I am burning brighter_

_Roaring like a storm_

A muffled thud comes out of Jax's room and Sara covers her mouth as she laughs. Leonard smirks, pocketing the remote.

_And I am the one I've been waiting for_

_Screaming like a siren_

The door opens and Jax spills out, his eyes wild and frantic, his face pale with shock and fear. He stumbles out into the hallway, drawing up short when he sees Leonard and Sara standing in front of him.

"Morning," Leonard says calmly.

"Can't sleep?" Sara adds, feigning a frown.

Jax stutters, trying to draw in air through his panic. "You-you two are such jerks."

"You wanted a challenge." Sara glanced at her nails calmly.

"Yeah?" Jax said, his voice still frantic. "Well, you know what happens when ice gets too close to the fire, Snart?"

_Alive and burning brighter_

_I am the fire_

"It melts!" Jax shouted over the music, ignoring Stein and Ray as they poked their heads out.

"That's why I've got the assassin on my side," Leonard retorted.

Sara winked as Jax paled, following Leonard back towards her room, the music still echoing down the hallway. Still smiling, she knocked Leonard's shoulder with her own. "Nice one, crook."

"I thought you'd like that."

Sara couldn't help but realize that this was meant as an apology of sorts. A peace offering for the day before.

She smiled widely at him and he mirrors it faintly, grabbing his towel and shower supplies as they got to her room. "Sure I can't entice you to join me?" His voice is lighter, but she isn't entirely sure he's joking.

"Tempting. But I'm hungry and the kitchen is looking good right now."

He shrugs, convincing her it was a joke. Mostly. "How could I compete with a view like that?"

"You could easily compete with that."

"Right," he scoffs, heading back to the bathroom.

She leaned against her door and watched him leave for a moment. Despite their heavy conversation from the night before, they were back to their light banter and teasing. She wasn't sure it was a good thing that they were both so good at compartmentalizing, but it was what happened. Still, she didn't want him to think she'd forgotten. "Hey, Leonard!"

He pauses and turns back to her, his brow arched.

"Girls find scars very attractive."

"All girls?"

"All girls."

A slow, smoldering smirk spreads across his mouth. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You should."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DC's Legends of Tomorrow belong to their respective creators.
> 
> "I Am the Fire" belongs to Halestorm.  
> "Let it Go" belongs to Idina Menzel and whoever else wrote it.
> 
> I own nothing of value. I'm doing this for purely entertainment purposes.
> 
> SDCC was amazing, but I found out Leonard is going to be part of the Big Bads this season. :( At least we'll still get to see him, I suppose. But I'll keep living in my little fantasy world with these fanfics.
> 
> This has all been in a sort of vague timeline, but I will be joining up with the end of the season soon. Yes, all the end of the season. Just preparing you now.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Not entirely thrilled with this chapter, but it's as good as it's going to get. Here's where we start entering the actual chronology of the show. This is post Left Behind. Hope you enjoy!

Sara stepped into her room, looking around slowly. It all looked exactly the same, but why wouldn't it? It'd only been a day for the Waverider.

It had been two years for her.

Two years since she'd returned to the League of Assassins and tried to turn her back on the Legends. Clearly, she'd failed. However, Sara couldn't feel too upset about it.

She looked down, the dark robes and armor of the League out of place on the brighter, cleaner, purer Waverider. Grabbing her shoulder pads, she moved to pull them off.

"Sara?"

She flinched, reaching for the knife at her waist and turning in a swift motion. Barely managing to resist the urge to throw her weapon, she saw Kendra standing in the doorway. Immediately sheathing the blade, Sara straightened up and nodded at her.

Her quiet stare seemed to unnerve Kendra. It wasn't until the other woman awkwardly stepped into her room that she remembered it was only League custom to remain silent.

"I wanted to say I was sorry," Kendra said, her eyes cast down.

"You don't need to."

"I do. Ray and I were…" she shook her head. "Ray and I were inconsiderate."

"You were living your life," Sara answered, pulling the shoulders off her armor.

"But we-"

"You did what you needed to do." She unbuckled her sword and held it in her hand, her eyes drawn to it. "Just like me."

When she looked up, Kendra was staring at her with a frown. Sara put the sword next to her bed, avoiding her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Kendra asked.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? Everyone's a little rattled. Ray is… And Mick is Chronos?" Kendra said with a frown. "I didn't see that coming. I thought-I thought Leonard killed him."

"Leonard would never kill Mick," Sara retorted, removing the heavy belt. She dropped it on the bed. Not for a single second did Sara ever think Leonard had killed his partner. It wasn't in him to kill Mick. That was part of the reason she- "They were partners."

"But Mick tried to-"

"Doesn't matter. Len's not a killer." She took off her outer robe and folded it tightly, rolling it up with the belt and putting it in the bottom of her small closet. Just when she thought she'd come to terms with being a Legend, she was pulled back into the League; then when she came to terms with the League, she was pulled back into the Legends.

Her head was spinning.

"Have you gone to see Leonard yet?"

Sara paused before rising from her crouch at the closet. "No." She'd seen Ray and Martin helping Leonard to the medbay, his hand...his hand _missing_. Rip was running after him, looking moderately calm, which meant next to nothing. The first time she'd seen him in two years and his face had been drawn in pain. And Mick - god, Mick was Chronos?

She rubbed her forehead. At least the League hadn't had the complications of friendships or relationships. Not that she had a relationship here.

But Leonard-

She stared down at the dark robe, reaching for the buttons. "I have to change."

"Of course." Kendra paused, unembarrassed as Sara began to unbutton her robe. "It's good to be back together. All of us."

"Yeah," Sara said, focusing on her buttons. "It's good."

"So, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah."

She didn't realise Kendra was gone until she turned around a few minutes later. Sealing the door, Sara returned to her closet and opened it up, staring at the contents.

Grabbing two pieces of clothing, she started to pull them on before slowing to a stop. Black top, dark wash jeans.

Dark colors. Just like the League.

When she came back as Black Canary, she'd held onto the somber palette. She held onto the assassin. But with the Legends, she was more than just a killer. Or at least, she wanted to be more.

Without questioning why, she took out a pale blue sweater.

* * *

Leonard looked up as Sara slid into the med bay. His eyes were tight and sunken in, his pale face paler than usual. But he simply said, "Birdy."

The familiar, sarcastic tone eased a knot she hadn't noticed over the past two years. She tried to smile, but it felt foreign. Leonard straightened slightly, but couldn't do much else, the recreation of his hand keeping him at bay.

"Come to see the freak show?" he asked, a faint smirk apparent.

Sara drank it in, his face, his eyes, his voice, the clever hands - hand, currently - but especially his smirk. She'd missed it.

She'd missed him.

Two years gone can give a girl tons of time to think. Even when she'd accepted that no one was coming for her, even when she'd managed to push everyone else in her life away to the back of her mind, she could never rid herself of Leonard. She heard him in her head, muttering sarcastic comments none of the assassins would dream of saying. She saw him in the shadows of Nanda Parbat, lurking and casing. She felt him in the snows that covered the mountains in the winter. Sara had cut herself off from everyone else, but she couldn't sever her tie to Leonard. Why was that?

"If there was one, I think you'd be the least impressive attraction," she finally answered.

His eyes flickered over her slightly; did her voice sound as wrong to him as it did in her head? Then, the tilted brow. "Oh? What do the others have? Martin-"

"Turns into a literal flame, along with Jax."

"Kendra is the Hawkgirl, I'll grant you." He glanced at his hand, a faint wince with the discomfort of regrowing ligaments. "Ray?"

"The Incredible Shrinking Man."

"Which will become his nickname with all future girlfriends. Rip?"

"Time-traveler, complete with spaceship."

"And an overabundance of stupidity," Leonard agreed. "And then, you."

"A resurrected assassin, twice out of time." She approached the bed, her fingers playing across the metal bar at his side.

Leonard watched her, but made no move. "Chronos - Mick - attacked. We tried to get to you, but-"

"I know." Her voice was harsh. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. "I know. For you it was only a single, very busy day."

"And two years for you." The quiet tone was unlike him. "Ray and Kendra were playing happy little homemakers and you-"

"I did what I do best." Her fingers wrapped around the bar tightly, reminding herself where she was. "It's who I am."

"You're more than that, Lance," Leonard said firmly. "You want more from life than just being an assassin."

Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to say things that were so accurate and so terrifying? He could just do as everyone else does, and accept her lies because they were easier for everyone. But he didn't. He never did.

And she'd missed that.

Sara nodded slowly, transfixed at the whiteness of her knuckles on the bar. "Yeah. You're right. I do. The whole time I was...there, something was missing." Glancing at his reconstructing hand, she avoided his eyes. "I don't think I'm safe, and I know I'm not good, but that doesn't change what I want, though I don't think I deserve it."

"So? I'm not safe or good. I take what I want," Leonard reminded her. "We don't deserve half the bad we get, so why should deserving keep us from anything?" He covered her wrist and tapped his finger against her skin, the simple gesture sending a flood of warmth through her, thawing out the walls she'd tried to put up during the League. The distance she'd tried to create. "Take what you want, birdy. Unlike some of us, you do deserve it."

She considered his words, his touch, the two year absence, and, for the first time since before running off with Oliver, allowed herself to think she deserved something.

"It was you," she said quietly, with a half-shrug. "I was stranded in time and for two years, the only person I wanted to see was you."

Leonard remained silent, his eyes stuck on her face even as he was pinned to the machine rebuilding his hand, and Sara felt the crush of regret slam over her. She shouldn't have said anything, shouldn't have complicated their friendship, but she couldn't not tell him. She could be the cold assassin with everyone else, but she couldn't lie to him.

So she didn't apologize, though the words were in her throat. "Anyway," she forced a fake laugh, "I should go see the others. Been a while. For me."

Heading towards the door, part of her held out hope that he would tease her, call after her, say anything at all.

But he was silent.

* * *

She sat on the bridge that night, staring at the vast black outside of the ship. It was daunting and reassuring at the same time. Sometimes she felt like the entire world was against her, when in reality, the world was so much bigger than that. It wasn't fate against her, it was just bad luck. To some, the lack of fate might be depressing, but Sara found it liberating. However, the immense black was also terrifying in its own empty, endless way, and Sara enjoyed the gentle buzz of adrenaline beneath her skin. The window seat was comfortable and she curled in the corner like a cat, half-dozing.

"Can't sleep?"

She glanced over her shoulder as Leonard walked in, his hands in his pockets. Waiting for the awkwardness or embarrassment from earlier to return, she was relieved when it doesn't. She hadn't permanently ruined anything. "League hours. Back to normal, Skywalker?"

He pulled his hand out of his pocket and wiggled his fingers in response. She chuckled slightly and he looked out the window. Taking the seat next to her, Leonard stared out into the black with an unreadable expression. Sara shifted over to make more room for him and they sat in silence for a while.

"See anyone else today?" he asked.

Sara frowned, her reflection cast back at her on the dark glassy surface. She'd gone to talk to Jax, but she must have startled him. He'd jumped and when he saw her standing there, he's - he'd backed away from her. LIke he was scared of her.

"It's been busy," she murmured.

He chuckled at that and let her comment go. The minutes passed and Sara felt her eyes start to droop.

"It was only a day," Leonard suddenly said. "And our routine was hardly normal."

Sara opened her mouth to speak, but Leonard shook his head slightly.

"Yet, I found myself...unbalanced. When I looked around, something was missing. When I expected to hear a comment, no one spoke. When I needed backup, no one was there." He was still staring out into the black, but his eyes weren't seeing the view.

"I would've been there if I could." She kept her voice quiet, matching his, even though they were alone.

"Yes." He said it as a fact, something he knew without it needing to be said and that made Sara smile briefly. Leonard glanced at her and there was something vulnerable in his eyes. They were suspicious, but confused, as if he was just as surprised at the words coming out of his mouth as she was hearing them. "I was kidnapped by a vengeful, inter-timeline bounty hunter and for the whole day, the only person I wanted to see was you."

She smiled at him, some of the worries of the past two years fading away. "Crook, it's me and you, okay? We'll always come through for one another."

"Big promise."

"One I intend to make you keep."

He turned back to the window. "I'll do my best, birdy."

"You're damn right you will."

He chuckled and some of the tension left his shoulders.

Sara stared at his profile, something cementing in her chest. Afraid to examine it too deeply, she instead rested her head on Leonard's shoulder and the two of them stared out into the velvet black.

* * *

The slap of the cards on the kitchen table echoed in the silence. Sara glanced across the table before grabbing her cards. "So...talk to Mick yet?"

"Oh no, birdy," Leonard said, staring at his cards. "We are not discussing this."

"Obviously there's no discussion at all going on." It had been three days since Sara, Ray, Kendra, and Mick had been returned to the Waverider. Three days since Sara and Leonard's little heart to heart. Things had returned to what passed as normal on the ship, with a few major exceptions.

He arched a brow and sat back in his chair. "You have something to say?"

She shrugged, making it clear that she had just said it.

Leonard shook his head and drew another card. "Mick's a lost cause."

"Right," Sara said, shrugging and glancing at her cards. "Because no one who spends years killing could ever come back from that and could ever be trusted."

"It's not the same."

Sara picked up another card. "How so?"

"He betrayed m-us."

She shrugged, pointedly ignoring the slip. "From what Martin said, he felt betrayed, too."

"Doesn't excuse him."

Not entirely disagreeing, Sara looked up over her cards at him. "You said I was more than just a killer."

"Because you are."

"So's Mick."

"You don't know that. Now drop it."

She leveled a glare at him. "No. Len, you-"

"Hey, guys."

At the loud voice from the door, Sara lurched to her feet, snatching a knife out of her boot before she'd even comprehended moving. Kendra stood in the door, raising her hands slightly, a tremulous smile on her lips. "Sorry. Should have knocked."

Dropping her eyes, Sara put the knife away and went back into her seat. "No, I'm sorry. I-"

"I get it," Kendra said easily, walking past Sara with only the briefest hesitation. "Old habits. Did you want to train later?" She pulled a glass out of the cabinet and filled it with water, glancing at Sara out of the corner of her eye.

"Not today. Thanks." She picked up her cards and kept her gaze on the suits and numbers.

"Sure." Kendra paused at the edge of the table awkwardly, but when Sara didn't say anything else, she nodded. "Okay. See you around, then."

The door shut behind the former barista and almost immediately came the a smug, "Hmm," from the man across from her.

"Something to say?" Sara snapped.

"Just that you're one to talk about a lack of communication."

Her jaw tensed as she looked up. "It's different."

"Oh, how so?" he drawled, dropping his cards to the table to lean across the surface. "Because it seems to me like you're avoiding conversation. Do you perhaps blame the blissful couple?"

"I don't blame them."

"Then why the cold shoulder, birdy?"

"That's your MO. And I'm not-"

"That's the third time you've shot down the princess. Ray says you literally walked away from him. Martin and Jax haven't heard a single word from you. You haven't even bothered to insult Rip since you got back."

"I make them uncomfortable," Sara muttered.

"Yeah, because you're ignoring them."

"I'm not-" her voice rose and she clamped her mouth shut before getting control. "You heard all that stuff. But what about how Jax doesn't want to even be alone with me in the same room? Or how Rap reached for his ATOM suit when I walked into the tech lab? How Martin and Rip talk about my mental state when they thinks I can't hear?" She was able to ignore feeling like a pariah by just hanging around Leonard, but if he continued pushing, the drastic change from before her two years would only become more obvious.

Leonard's frown darkened his face. "That's crazy, Sara."

"No. It makes sense. I'm a killer, Len. You saw me just now. I can't control it. They need me on the team, but they don't want me. They don't trust me."

"Well, then you need to talk to them and make them trust you again."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I don't trust myself." She threw her cards on the table in disgust, getting to her feet. "I pushed away the bloodlust once, but I don't know that I can do it again."

Leonard remained seated, though his eyes followed her pacing. "You can."

"You sure as hell don't think Mick can change."

His brows drew together. "That is completely different."

"The thing is, Len, it's not. It's exactly the same." She shook her head, ignoring the way her blood boiled beneath her skin, the constant, silent push for violence and darkness. She rested her hands on the table and leaned nearer to him. "The only difference between Mick and I is that I chose to become this."

"Sara."

"And if you don't trust him, how can anyone - how can you possibly..." She cut herself off and pushed away, moving towards the door. "Thanks for the game."

"Lance, wait-"

Sara closed the door behind her.

* * *

She stayed in her room until lunch was long over, but before dinner would start drawing the others towards the kitchen. Sara was starving, but she was reluctant to leave her room. Not that she was hiding, but-

She sighed, tossing the knife in the air again, catching it before it hit the ground. Fine, so she was hiding a little. Everyone else was so uncomfortable, except for Leonard, who was either lying to her or himself, and she didn't care much for either option. So she wouldn't force her company on anyone. They'd go out on missions until Savage was captured, and then she would just go home. That would be it.

Though, when she thought of home those few rare times in the League, it wasn't her father's apartment, or the assassin's rooms in Nanda Parbat, or his sister's place. Home for her was full of chrome and excitement and too many people and ice. Cold beer and a deck of cards.

Her stomach growled and Sara considered sneaking down to the kitchen to grab something before the others started filing down for dinner. Before she could move, Rip's voice came over the intercoms in the ship.

" _Everyone, report to the bridge immediately."_

Sara grabbed her sword and started for the door, already ruling out possibilities - it could be that Mick escaped, but she doubted it. The ship hadn't moved, so they hadn't been attacked. She hadn't heard gunfire, so it was no one aboard-

Pausing, Sara stared at the sword in her hand. Then she dropped it, picking up her sticks instead.

The hallways to the bridge was silent, no one else coming from her side of the Waverider. They were probably all still avoiding her. Well, whether or not they wanted her, she was part of this team. She'd back them up, no matter what they thought.

A strangely familiar song started echoing through the halls as she got closer to the bridge. At first, she couldn't make it out, but then -

 _Times have changed and times are strange_  
Here I come but I ain't the same  
Mama I'm comin' home

With a frown, she lowered her sticks and walked onto the bridge, seeing the entire crew, with the exception of Mick, waiting by the jump seats. A big banner was up, saying "Welcome Back" and it looked like it had been done in paint. Rip was looking only moderately surly, but the others were smiling as Sara came in.

 _Times gone by, seems to be_  
You could have been a better friend to me  
Mama I'm comin' home

"We thought it was time for a welcome back party," Kendra said with a huge smile, coming over to hug Sara tightly.

"I wasn't the only one who was gone," Sara replied pointedly.

"Ray and I had one another. We managed to get through all right. But you didn't have anyone. And I know it's rough, but we wanted you to know that we're really happy you're back with us. We missed you."

Sara smiled, glancing over at Ray, whose grin was almost luminescent.

"It is good to have the team back together," he said.

 _You took me in and you drove me out_  
Yeah you had me hypnotized yeah  
Lost and found and turned around  
By the fire in your eyes

Martin came over with a drink, "And though we never doubted your survival skills, we are happy that we're all under one roof. Or, hull, as it were."

Sara took it with thanks. She glanced at Rip, who nodded at her. "Ms. Lance. I was concerned that your time with the League would have you reverting."

Her smile began to fade.

"But, I can see that isn't the case. You are stronger than I gave you credit for. And I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Thanks, Captain." Her eyes were already searching for the one she'd figured was behind this. She caught sight of him leaning behind his usual seat and approached, the music still going. "So, how much of this was your doing?"

"Surprisingly, none. I hadn't expected them to be observant, but it turns out I was wrong."

"Stop the presses," she joked.

He smiled slightly. "Or, perhaps they were just trying to get even."

She frowned at him. "For what?"

"For what? Your pranks, birdy. Been two years for you, but only a few days for some of us. We have to get back in the game."

She chuckled, taking a sip of her drink. "So...you were wrong about them. Could you maybe be wrong about another member of the team?"

"Rip is still an idiot."

"Len."

He sighed, before taking the drink out of her hand and draining it. "I'm...considering your advice."

She knew that was as good as she was going to get, so Sara smiled. "Good."

He handed the empty glass back to her. "It's good to have you back."

Sara looked out over the group of geniuses, criminals, friends, and partners and smiled. She may have fit in at the League, but it didn't mean she belonged there. But here? In this cluster of outcasts and losers? She leaned slightly against Leonard's arm and quietly admitted, "It's nice to be home."

 _You made me cry, you told me lies_  
But I can't stand to say goodbye  
Mama I'm comin' home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DC's Legends of Tomorrow belong to their respective creators.
> 
> "I'm Coming Home" belongs to Ozzy Osbourne.
> 
> I own nothing of value. I'm doing this for purely entertainment purposes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Near the end of Progeny. Should be pretty clear. This went in a very different way than I had expected. I hope it's okay.

"Medbay, Ms. Lance," Rip muttered, stalking past her.

"I don't need-"

"That wasn't a request!" he snapped over his shoulder, ignoring the looks of the others. He inhaled through his nose, then in a quieter tone, added, "Please."

"Come, Ms. Lance," Martin said quietly, taking her elbow. "I can clean that up for you."

Unhappy about it, Sara still followed him back to the medbay. Savage's knife had left a thin but long line on her throat. Normally, she would ignore it - it was nothing but a scratch. But Rip's reaction cautioned her against complaining at the moment.

She took a seat in the medbay, dropping her sticks on the floor next to her. Martin took out a small pad of gauze and hydrogen peroxide. "Lean back, please."

Stifling her annoyed sigh, she tilted her head back and allowed him to clean it out. The knife had been sharp; it'd barely hurt when he cut her. If he'd finished the job, she might not have even noticed.

When Martin stepped away, Sara made to get up.

"It could use some bandaging."

"I don't need bandages."

Martin held out his hand to restrain her and Sara leaned away. "I'm fine."

"Ms. Lance, you just had an immortal killer try to cut your throat. Allow me to at least wrap it for you." His eyes were tight as he looked at her and Sara was touched by the thought he was worried.

"I'm okay, Martin. Really."

"Really," he repeated quietly, shaking his head. "I'm not sure any of us are okay at this juncture. Captain Hunter is falling apart, Mr. Palmer is constantly worried for Ms. Saunders, who remains the true target of Savage. Mr. Rory was taken captive and only recently returned to us, changed for the better or worse, I'm not sure. Jefferson misses his family, and I…"

Sara waited in silence, not sure Martin had ever confessed so much to her before.

"Time travelling isn't quite what I thought it would be," he admitted quietly.

Sara cocked a brow, "Rip did warn us he wanted to change the future. You didn't think it would be easy, did you?"

"I'll admit, I had thought it would be more intellectual and less physical. My visions for this trip were more...entertaining."

"What?" Sara grinned, ignoring the pain in her jaw from a lucky shot. "You're not having fun?"

"How do you and Mr. Snart do it?" Martin asked her with a frown.

"Do what?"

"Remain so...positive."

She chuckled, the thought of her and Leonard being the positive ones on this ship a wild misconception. "Let's just say, I'm not exactly afraid to die. Been there, done that. So what's the point in worrying?"

"And Mr. Snart?"

"I'm pretty sure he'll end up being immortal, for how he gets out of trouble. He's going to outlive all of us."

Martin shook his head, the frown still prominent.

Sara stared at him, then touched his shoulder. "Look, Martin. We aren't all going to make it out of this." He opened his mouth to argue, but Sara cut him off. "We've already lost Carter. Nearly lost Mick, too. But what we're doing is important. More important than an assassin or a criminal. We're part of something bigger. Maybe you know what that feels like, being an important scientist and all that, but it's new for me. I've never done anything worth doing before. I'm not important." She heard something in the hallway, so quietly summed up. "If I die, at least it's doing something that matters."

Martin's eyes appraised her for a long moment. "You are something extraordinary, Ms. Lance."

She hoped he never found out she almost killed him. "I'm really not."

"Stein," Leonard's voice kept him from arguing. "Rip wants to see you in his office."

"Of course. Mr. Snart, will you see that Ms. Lance gets that bandaged up?" Martin cut his eyes at Sara, keeping her from objecting until Leonard nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Lance."

"Sure thing."

He left, Leonard stepping aside to make room for him. Once the door closed, Sara made to get up from the bed.

"You're not bandaged, birdy," Leonard said, stepping towards the counter.

"You're not serious."

"As the plague." He gestured to the seat and Sara sat back down with a huff.

"It's just a cut."

"It's a knife wound."

"Semantics. It's not serious."

"It's incredibly serious, Lance." Leonard turned back, his tone sharp.

Annoyed at being yelled at from all corners of the ship, her brows drew together in a frown. "It's really not."

"He could have killed you." The gauze lay forgotten on the counter as Leonard gripped the bar on the bed.

"He could have killed any of us, so why-"

"Because it was you!" Leonard snapped, his knuckles turning white.

"I'm fine."

"Fine?" He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face up, revealing her cut. "This is fine?"

"It's not like I died, Len."

"But you could have." Leonard's hand was still on her face.

Sara's smirk and playful comment were cut off as Len's fingers tightened on her. "Don't make light of this, birdy."

"Be realistic. Any one of us could die, Len. At any moment."

"See that it isn't you." Leonard dropped his hand from her face. "We're killing Savage sooner or later." He turned and exchanged the gauze for some smaller butterfly bandages. "But if you make it personal for me, it'll sure as hell be sooner."

"You'd avenge me?" Sara joked with a faint grin, watching him open a few bandages.

He paused, staring at the materials in his hands. Without looking at her, Leonard said, "Yes."

Sara didn't ask why. They both knew why.

Biting her lip, she swallowed the words she wanted to say. She'd had two years to come to terms with everything. He'd only had a few days.

Leonard turned around, his face composed and carefully blank. "Tilt back."

Ignoring the urge to argue with him, she did as he asked. Exposing her neck made her feel oddly vulnerable, but she knew she was in safe hands. He only placed a few on the cut, more for show than anything else.

"You're all set," Leonard said after a few moments, stepping back. He crossed his arms as Sara sat up.

"I feel good as new," she replied.

He snorted, a faint smile appearing.

Chewing the inside of her cheek, Sara went for the bullet. "So...have you spoken to Mick?"

"Can't let it go, can you?"

"No. And you can't either, for how much you're pretending."

His eyes narrowed, but Sara didn't back down.

Finally, he sighed. "I have some place to be."

Sara was unable to stifle her grin.

"Shut up," Leonard growled.

"Didn't say anything. Drinks later?"

Leonard shook his head before sighing. "Your place or mine?"

"Your place. Have a good chat."

He rolled his eyes again, heading to the door. "Birdy?"

Sara got to her feet, raising her brows at him. "Crook?"

"You are both extraordinary and important," he said quietly, not looking at her. "So act like it and don't get yourself killed. Remember your promise."

"Will do."

"Good."

* * *

"When I said talk to Mick, I didn't mean with your face." Sara pressed the antibiotic ointment to Leonard's cheek, not feeling much sympathy when he winced. Turnabout was fair play when it came to taking care of one another. Stuck on her desk, there wasn't room for Leonard to get away, not with her standing between his legs.

"We don't talk." Leonard leaned away from the swab as she tried to clean his cut lip. They were in her room, as Leonard had refused to go to the infirmary. She had a small collection of first aid materials and knew enough to patch him up. "We fight. You should understand that better than anyone else."

She caught his jaw to hold him still. "I do. But you're lucky he didn't kill you." Finishing with his lip, she reached over his leg to grab bandages to seal up the slice on his temple.

"I told him to."

Sara froze briefly, then continued her work. Her calm tone hid the freezing panic that swirled up inside of her at his words. "How would that help anyone?"

"It'd help me." His blue eyes seemed determined to catch hers, but Sara remained focused on her work, hoping her hands weren't shaking.

She didn't ask him how it would help. Unfortunately, she understood his thinking all too well. Guilt was a powerful and dangerous thing for people like them, no matter how much they tried to deny it. Instead, she only said, "And when Mick got over his anger, do you think he'd agree?"

"He didn't do it. Guess we'll never know." He stared up at her, but she pinpointed her gaze on the square inch on his forehead she was bandaging.

"Luckily," she muttered, putting the final bandage on and turning away, tossing the trash into the can by the desk.

"What was that, Lance?" Leonard got to his feet with a faint groan. More than likely a broken rib. She'd have to look at that. "Would you have missed me?"

Sara crossed her arms and faced him, a clever retort on her lips. It died away when she once against came face to face with how badly he was hurt. If he could be honest with her in the medbay, she could be honest with him now. "Yes."

He stilled and succeeded in catching her gaze. The smirk wasn't quite as wide, his busted lip keeping it contained. Was it suddenly very warm in here? "I'm flattered. Didn't know you cared."

They both knew that was a lie.

"Who'll pull pranks with me if you're not around?" Sara asked, diffusing the tension that had become more and more frequent. "Rip?"

"He couldn't keep up with you."

Sara wasn't entirely sure they were still talking about pranks. "Good think you're still here, then."

"Good thing," he repeated in a low voice, still staring at her.

Sara fidgeted with the leftover gauze. "We'll totally win now, once Mick joins our side."

"Mick is recovering from being an inter-timeline bounty hunter. I'm not sure the others will feel comfortable with him just yet."

"Since when do you care?" Sara asked. "Besides, he has Time Master brainwashing to blame for killing people." She didn't mean to sound bitter, but her smile couldn't quite hide it.

As usual, Leonard saw right through it. "They trust you."

Inhaling slightly, she nodded. They did. She was just still learning to trust herself again. "And they'll trust Mick, too. We just need to include him."

"He did try to shoot you."

Sara shrugged, picking up Leonard's coat from where he'd dropped it on her bed. "So?"

"So? He tried to kill you. Most people don't forgive that lightly." He took the coat from her and swung it on, only the faintest wince from his injuries.

"And if he tries to do it again, I'll reconsider. But it doesn't change the fact that he also saved my life. He saved Ray, too. He's saved all of us." She straightened out his collar, drawing his eyes. "He's part of this team. We just need to remind everyone."

Leonard scoffed and shook his head. "You're strange, assassin."

She smirked, patting the front of his coat before stepping back. "That's why we get along." He didn't disagree. "Any ideas on how to get Mick back in everyone's good graces?"

Blue eyes appraised her in silence. Then, that half-mast gaze returned and he examined his bloody knuckles absently. "I have a thought."

* * *

Mick ate silently, feeling the gazes of Jax and Ray on his throughout the meal. His face still hurt - he hadn't expected Snart to get in as many hits as he had. He must have been training with someone. Cautious of his sore jaw, he chewed on the left side of his mouth, keeping his eyes down. If they spoke, it wouldn't have been so weird, but they just stared in silence. He put up with it for some time, before raising his head and catching them both in the act.

"What?" he snarled at them. Jax jumped and shrugged, dropping his eyes quickly. Ray mumbled some kind of answer before standing and making an excuse to leave. Jax followed him, not keen on being alone with Mick.

Shoving his plate away, Mick sat back in his chair, trying to blame his loss of appetite on anything but the truth. He was a criminal and a killer. What should he care if they were afraid of him? He shouldn't. He wouldn't.

He did.

Snart had spoken of the team with the same tone he used when he talked about Lisa. Nothing too varied from his usual, but Mick could hear the difference. This ragtag group of losers had worked their way under Captain Cold's notoriously icy demeanor, and Mick couldn't help but wonder what might have been if he hadn't turned on them. He'd never had anything more than a partner. Even the Time Masters treated him more like a pet than anything. He'd never needed more than Snart, and it had been mutual. But then -

Then Snart betrayed him.

Or he had betrayed Snart.

The details were fuzzy.

All Mick had known was how much it had hurt. That pain - and the anger - kept him relatively sane as the Time Masters broke him down and built him back up in armor. Now, without either, he was purposeless, at least with regard to the Legends.

There was plenty anger left for the Time Masters.

He didn't know his place here. He wasn't Snart's partner any longer. They'd never trust him as a teammate again, his work as Chronos made sure of that, but they were too 'good' to treat him as a pet. Temporary ally? Double agent? A convenience? He didn't much care for any of those.

"Hey, Mick."

He turned, seeing Blondie standing in the door. Here was another curveball. He'd seen how cozy she and Snart had been lately. It wasn't that they were sleeping together, at least not yet. In fact, the lack of sex as an excuse made their relationship all the odder. "Yeah?"

"Rip wants the team on deck," she said, leaning on the doorframe. That shuttered look was something she'd learned from Snart. He recognized it easily.

He snorted. "So why tell me?"

"Come on," was her only response.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Mick observing the assassin. She seemed content. Far cry from what she used to be - as angry as Mick, as bitter as Snart, walling herself off from everything. He wondered if it had been Snart who drew her out. He wondered what that meant for his partner. Old partner.

"I'm glad I didn't kill you," Mick said suddenly.

Sara smiled, unfazed by his rather dark comment. "Me too. I'm also glad you and Leonard didn't kill each other."

"He didn't have it in him." The insult lost weight as Mick said it with a thoughtful frown.

"No. He's better than us, for all he tries to hide it."

Mick's response was a noncommittal grunt. Once upon a time, he would've called that weakness. Lifetimes spent killing through time made him reconsider that idea.

They were almost to the bridge and Mick saw Jax and Ray head into the room. Unconsciously, he slowed his steps a bit, allowing them to pull ahead. Sara glanced at him, but matched his pace.

"They missed you."

Mick scoffed and glanced at her. "Right, 'cause I was such a team player."

She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. "They still did. I did, too. It's good to have you back."

"Clearly." He gestured to where the others had quickly disappeared.

"They just need to get used to you again. This new you is much more serious."

"And you're chatty. Snart teach you that?"

"Someone had to fill the silence."

"Figured Haircut would manage that."

Sara chuckled. "He does his best. But then Leonard threatens him and he shuts up."

"Coward," Mick said without venom. "You won't though."

"Of course not." She picked up her pace. "Let's not keep Rip waiting. For a Time Master, he's weirdly punctual."

She led the way onto the bridge, leaving Mick to bring up the rear. He inhaled, not because he was uncomfortable, but because -

Fuck.

He stepped through the archway and the first thing he noticed was that the bridge seemed dark. He tensed, reaching for a gun he wasn't carrying. He could barely make out Haircut and Jax, who seemed just as confused as he was.

Suddenly, a deep blue glow spotlighted on Mick. He jumped and looked around. "What the hell-"

A soulful guitar and solid drums filled the room. Turning, he tried to figure out where it was coming from, but as he opened his mouth, his words were drowned out by a man's lyrical voice.

_Oh, baby, my time has come_

_I'm gonna step aboard this ship today and head for the sun_

_Don't know what I'll see there_

_Don't know what I'll find_

_Baby, I'll be happy if I find a peace of mind._

"What the hell is going on?" Mick shouted, walking across the bridge, the blue spotlight following him. He could barely be heard over the music, but Haircut was grinning. Clearly, this wasn't some kind of attack, but what the fuck was it?

_Time travel, it's been getting me down_

_I've been gone so long, I don't ever_

_Think I'm coming down_

_I've seen tomorrow and I've seen yesterday_

_Will I see your face again, baby?_

_You know I just can't say._

The lights came back on suddenly and the music faded away. Mick turned, seeing Kendra, the doc, and Rip inside Rip's office, looking surprised, but not completely caught off guard.

"Can someone tell me what just happened?" Mick growled, looking around. He caught sight of Sara and Snart by the door, the former smirking and the latter watching him through narrowed eyes.

"You've been pranked," Sara announced, crossing her arms as she leaned against the door.

"What?"

Jax came up to him, his smile wide as he glanced at Sara. No trace of the unease that had been present just minutes ago. "Those two started it weeks ago, Rick-Rolling us with stupid songs."

"They've been catching each of us," Ray added, putting his hand on Mick's shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And they just got you. But don't worry, now that you're on our side, we'll get them back."

Mick stared across the bridge, meeting blue eyes.

They would never be what they were before. They couldn't be. If he only learned one thing from his years as Chronos, it was that time changed all things. But that didn't mean they wouldn't watch out for one another.

"Let's get one thing clear," Mick growled, looking at Jax and Haircut. "You're on my side. And we aren't just gonna get them back. We're gonna win."

Jax and Ray grinned, already filling Mick in on their half-cocked plans. Mick spared one more glance at the crook and the assassin.

She had leaned over, speaking quietly to Snart. Catching his gaze, she winked at him before disappearing out the door. Snart lingered for a moment, his black and blue face inscrutable. Then, Mick gave him the tiniest nod and Snart's expression relaxed. A quick nod of his head and Snart followed Sara. Mick turned his attention back to the others, Kendra coming over to join them and casting a quick smile at Mick. Martin and Rip were shaking their heads, in that way parents did when they were amused but irritated at the same time.

Maybe being part of a team wouldn't be so bad, after all.

* * *

Sara knocked on Leonard's door after dinner, not bothering to dress up. It's not like their nights were ever anything fancy. Jeans and a sweatshirt were all he was getting.

Leonard opened the door, his own outfit looking similar. But he'd pushed up the sleeves of his thermal, revealing toned forearms. Despite seeing most of him the other day (or two years ago, depending on the timeline), she couldn't help but be a little intrigued. It wasn't like him to show anything - skin, emotions, his past. Yet here he was.

"Come here often?"

Sara rolled her eyes and pushed in past him with a smile. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Drinks are crap, entertainment sucks, and the company-"

"The company is just fine," Sara cut in. "And if you don't mind, I invited someone."

"Wh-"

"Snart." Mick appeared in the doorway, taking up most of the entrance.

"Mick," Leonard responded carefully, his eyes narrowing.

They stood in silence for a moment, before Mick held up a six pack. "Drink?"

Leonard stepped aside and Sara turned on some music, catching Leonard's eye as she did so. He nodded just slightly and she smiled. Mick needed to be part of the team again. The pranks were a good start, but this was just as important.

"So," Sara said, taking the bottle Leonard passed her and having a seat on the floor, "craziest thing you saw while a time-traveling bounty hunter?"

Mick glanced at her, the corner of his mouth twitching at her blunt question. "I saw the pyramids being built. I saw the moon landing." He took a swig of his beer, and sighed. "But the craziest was drinking with Genghis Khan."

Leonard chuckled and Sara leaned forward, "Oh, please say you have details."

"He was quite the character. Kind of reminded me of Palmer. If Palmer was a psychopath."

"You haven't seen him with Hawkgirl," Leonard muttered.

"Haircut and the princess, huh?" Mick asked. "Didn't see that coming."

Sara chuckled, "Neither did Palmer."

Mick grinned at her, "That'll be fun to watch."

"It's been entertaining," Leonard admitted.

Draining his beer, Mick grabbed another, ripping off the cap without a bottle opener. "So, what stupid shit has Rip been doing since I saw you last?"

"Where do we start?" Sara groaned.

Leonard held out his hand, "I need another drink if we're going to go into it."

One drink turned into seven or eight before Mick called it a night. He didn't make any apologies for his behavior, not that Leonard or Sara would have asked, but he shook Leonard's hand and nodded at Sara before leaving.

"You calling it a night, too?" Leonard asked after Mick headed out.

Sara shrugged; she was tired, but not interested in going anywhere just yet. "Could watch some TV."

Leonard's eyebrow lifted in agreement, and he spoke to Gideon, pulling up the next episode in their list. Sara cleaned up the empty bottles before glancing between the chair and the bed.

"Blanket's in the closet," Leonard said, turning down the lights.

That decided it for her. Sara grabbed the blanket and sat back next to Leonard, curling underneath the blanket. During the opening credits, Leonard quietly said, "Thanks."

She didn't ask what for. She knew. "Anytime, crook."

His smirk was visible even in the dim light and Sara settled in.

* * *

_Trapped, she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. She was in a narrow wooden box, too small to even sit up. Things fell on the box from above, cascading down from a height that seemed infinite. She flinched, trying to see anything, but the light was fading with every clatter from above. Inhaling, she choked on dirt and wood shavings. It hit her, then._

_She was being buried alive._

_Sara tried to call out, but the loudest she could get was a whisper, buried beneath another spadeful of dirt. She wasn't dead, she wasn't dead any longer!_

_But even as she tried to choke that out, there was a pain in her abdomen. Pressing her palms against her stomach, she whimpered, the red visible even in her diminishing light._

_Her light was almost gone now, and Sara reached up to claw at the wood, pain in her fingertips, but nothing did any good. She scratched, desperate, tiny whines escaping from the back of her throat. Then, all the light vanished and she was suddenly unable to move, her hands trapped in a vise. She was trapped, caught, being buried alive and no one would ever know that she was-_

"Sara!"

Her eyes snapped open and Sara pushed herself against the cold wall, the shock waking her up, but nothing making sense as she stared at Leonard, holding her wrists.

"You with me?" Leonard asked, still holding onto her. The sleeves of his shirt had fallen down, the material brushing her skin.

Her nod was stiff and she knew her eyes were still wild. She couldn't shake the panic, her skin vibrating as adrenaline and fear coursed through her. On the screen, she could see that they were midway through an episode she didn't remember starting - she must have fallen asleep.

"What was it?" His thumbs moved in circles against her pulse and she tried to relax.

"Coffin," she muttered, closing her eyes to focus on her heart rate. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep."

He let go of her wrists and Sara shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. She kept her eyes shut, understanding why he was so keen to avoid her pity all those years (days?) ago.

"Everyone sleeps, birdy. Everyone gets scared."

"You don't."

He laughed shortly, unhappily. "All the time."

She opened her eyes with a frown. "Why?" The vestiges of the dream were fading in her confusion.

He was much closer than she had expected, leaning in towards her, one hand near her leg that he propped himself up with.

"What in the world are you afraid of?" she asked, resisting the urge to move away. She wasn't uncomfortable, but her heart rate was rising again, in a way that had nothing to do with her nightmare.

"You," he said simply, his eyes narrowing as they cast over her face.

Her stomach fell to somewhere in her shoes. Air catching in her lungs, Sara clenched her teeth and drew away from him, dropping her eyes. Being terrifying was something she'd been used to as an assassin. But from her friends-

From Leonard…

"I'm sorry," Sara murmured. She moved to get off the bed, to return to her room and leave him alone. "Look, I didn't-"

"Lance-"

"I never wanted to-"

"Birdy."

"Don't worry, I get it." She got to her feet and started towards the door.

"You really don't."

"I never wanted to scare you." Sara put her hand on the door, turning slightly to face him.

"Well, you do." He got up and walked towards her. "You terrify me." Leonard's eyes were unreadable as he sauntered over, dark as sin.

"Len-"

"I didn't care about anyone but myself, Mick, and Lisa." He stopped just a few inches in front of her, his frown creating lines between his eyes. "But then you showed up. You danced. You take down men twice your size and call it fun. You never shut up. You don't take my bullshit." He placed on hand next to her head, leaning in and searching her face with a look of confusion, as if he wasn't entirely sure of anything himself. "I started to care. And then you were gone. You got under my skin, Lance. How?" His eyes darted between hers, looking for an answer she didn't have.

Leonard's fingers ghosted over her jaw and Sara held her breath, not leaning in, but not leaning away, either.

His thumb ran just beneath her lip. "You terrify me. And I know I'm trouble, but..."

"I happen to love trouble," she whispered, her hand wrapped up around his forearm, the thermal warm beneath her fingers.

Leonard flinched. Just the slightest tightening around his eyes, never touching the smirk that appeared on his mouth, but it was enough.

Sara drew back from him, frowning. "What is it?"

"Nothing, birdy."

"Len."

"It's nothing," he stepped back from her, one hand smoothing down over his sleeve.

Sara grabbed his wrist and pushed his sleeve up, ignoring his comments, "Sara, don't-"

Long scratches, deep enough to draw blood, ran down his arm; dark red lines punctuating his pale skin, crossing over the scars she'd already seen.

He didn't fight her when she pushed up the other sleeve, revealing more of the same. Now that she was looking, she could see a similar line protruding from the collar of his shirt.

Sara had hurt him.

Her lungs constricted and her heart pounded two or three painful thumps before she could find enough air to draw in. "I hurt you."

"It's nothing, Lance." Leonard took a step towards her, but Sara moved along the wall towards the door.

Slamming her hand onto the panel, the door slid open and she escaped into the cold air of the hallway, crossing over to her room and pressing the button. Before it could close, Leonard shoved his foot in the way, stopping it from sealing.

"It was a nightmare. You didn't mean it," he hissed, keeping the door open.

Standing in the middle of the room, she wrapped her arms around herself, far out of his reach. "That doesn't make it better."

"It's nothing," Leonard repeated, leaning in slightly.

"It's not nothing, Len," Sara murmured, lifting her eyes to his. "If I can hurt you, of all people, it's not nothing." She approached him slowly. "I'm sorry. I thought I was better, but I'm not. And if I'm not, then we can't... _I_ can't." With a shake of her head, she reached out, placing her hand on the door. "You said you were scared of me."

"Sara-"

She shoved him back into the hallway, allowing the door to close, locking her away from everyone.

"You should be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DC's Legends of Tomorrow belong to their respective creators.
> 
> "Time Traveling Blues" belongs to Orange Goblins.
> 
> I own nothing of value. I'm doing this for purely entertainment purposes.


	6. Chapter 6

It'd been three days since Sara had shoved Leonard out of her room. Since then, she'd held a baby Leonard, lectured her younger self, and gotten into a literal Old West gunfight. As much fun as it had been, Sara couldn't help but frown as she wrapped up her hands, ready for sparring with Kendra.

"Hey," Kendra called out as she entered. "You ready?"

Sara nodded, dropping into a fighting stance with only a small amount of nerves. She'd been getting better. Not as many nightmares, not as many moments of bloodlust. She wasn't safe, wasn't normal, but she was trying to get there.

What didn't help was running into Leonard at every second of every day. He never seemed to be following her - he just always seemed to appear where she wanted to go. And when she got there, he acted like nothing was wrong. He still called her birdy, he mentioned pranking the others, despite Sara's short, uncomfortable responses. The weird thing was, being around Leonard wasn't awkward, even though it should have been. It was the lack of discomfort that made her uncomfortable.

She'd shot him down. She'd unintentionally led him along and then shot him down when Leonard - _Leonard_ \- of all people, opened up to her. And he didn't seem to hold it against her. He should. He should hate her. But he-

"Sara?" Kendra asked, waving her hand in front of her eyes. "You with me?"

"I'm fine."

They started out slow, using it more for exercise than fighting practice. The two of them fell into a kind of dance, one that she found relaxing, even if she did receive the occasional fist to her person.

"You okay?" Kendra asked, after Sara failed to deflect a fairly easy blow to her jaw.

She shook it off, "Fine. Didn't hurt that badly. You're pulling your punches."

"I meant outside of the gym."

Sara kept moving, pulling her eyes from Kendra's torso to her face for just a moment. "I'm fine."

"Sure," Kendra answered, dodging Sara's kick. "And that's why we haven't been pranked in while? You and Snart are fine?"

Sara failed to block Kendra's kick and rocked back, her air expelling in a huff. "Exactly," she wheezed.

"So I'm not reading any drama between the two of you?"

"Nope. And how's Ray?" Sara lunged forward, grabbing Kendra's arm and trying to put her into a lock.

"Work on your misdirection, girl. You kind of suck at it." Kendra slithered out of her grasp and swept Sara's legs out from beneath her. Falling to the mat with a pained grunt, Sara found no quarter as Kendra lunged on top of her, pinning her down.

"Yeah," Kendra breathed heavily, "You're not acting unusual at all."

"Let it go, Kendra," Sara warned.

"No, you two are my friends and you're not okay. So what happened?"

"I-"

_I kissed a girl and I liked it_

_The taste of her cherry chap stick_

_I kissed a girl just to try it_

_I hope my boyfriend don't mind it_

_It felt so wrong_

_It felt so right_

_Don't mean I'm in love tonight_

_I kissed a girl and I liked it_

_I liked it_

Sara rolled her eyes and shoved Kendra off of her. "Seriously?"

Laughter from the door drew her eyes to Jax and Ray - how had they shown up without her noticing? God, she really was distracted.

"Got you, Lance," Jax gloated.

"We pranked the assassin!"

Sara got to her feet, trying to think of a comeback. She wasn't used to facing off against them on her own. Even if they were her friends, she was against them in these prank wars, but it wasn't so much fun when she was all by her-

"Brag while you can. It won't last."

Leonard stepped past Ray and Jax and into the gym. His smirk was casual and confident, completely at ease.

"Come on, Snart," Ray grinned. "We're totally kicking your asses and you know it. We got Sara, we've got you. We're winning."

"At the moment. You got Sara pretty good, I'll grant you. Nice song."

She glared at him in mock-anger, unable to help smiling, even though she was still uneasy. "Whose side are you on?"

"My side." The corner of his mouth twitched, ruining the supposed deadpan slightly. "And though I hate to interrupt what seems to be a tender moment-"

Kendra failed to stifle her giggle, making Sara glance over. "I thought you were the nice one on this boat."

"Ship," Leonard corrected, the twitch more prominent.

Sara pointed her bo staff at him, "Don't push it, crook."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Wouldn't dream of it. But what I was saying is that Rip has asked for Palmer and Kendra on the bridge."

Ray and Jax were still chuckling in the doorway, until Sara turned her glare on them. "Don't think this means you've won. Even if I am working solo. I'm coming for you."

"Challenge accepted," Ray grinned, pulling Jax away from the door.

Kendra squeezed her shoulder, "Good luck. Even if I'm technically on their team."

Sara smiled at her as she left, fixing the ponytail that had become undone during the spar and turning to the punching bag. Forgoing gloves – she'd long since desensitized herself to pain - Sara started in on it slowly, working her way up. Vaguely, she could still feel a gaze on her back, but she didn't acknowledge him.

She was forced to when he appeared in the corner of her vision.

"Here to gloat?" she asked him without any venom, her breath coming shorter as she made visible dents in the bag.

"No need to be so cold, Canary."

"That's your M.O."

"Hilarious." He paused, watching her again for a few minutes.

Finally tired of the silent judgment, Sara stopped. "Have something you want to share?" She regretted saying it the moment the words left her mouth. Eyes darting to Leonard and back to the bag, she hoped he wouldn't share anything.

"Not me. How about you?"

She shook her head and went back to attacking the bag.

"You seem a little off, Lance."

He couldn't just leave well enough alone, could he?

"I'm fine," she spat.

He arched a brow, "Right."

Unable to stand it any longer, his cool calm in the face of her turmoil, Sara dropped her arms and faced him. "Why don't you hate me?"

Snart smirked, crossing his arms. "Why would I hate you?"

"You know why."

He stared at the punching bag, not meeting her eyes. "Perhaps I was...overzealous."

That hurt. Sara took a step back. "Right. It was just a mistake-"

"You have a horrible habit of assuming things I never said," Leonard said, the faintest tinge of anger in his voice.

She met his eyes and Sara saw no regret in his face. He wasn't upset about the other night. But why not?

"You need time," Leonard said easily, reading her as he always did. "I can be patient."

"Len-"

"Birdy."

She couldn't help her faint smile, and she shook her head, dropping her gaze again. "I don't know how long it'll take."

"That's the beauty of time-travel, Lance. You can live a lifetime before tomorrow." He headed toward the door. "And if it takes longer, then that's fine, too."

"How is that fine?" Sara asked.

"I've waited months for a good payoff. Best things are worth waiting for."

She stared after him, wondering when the hell he'd turned so smooth.

"Oh, and birdy?"

She was still watching him, so she just remained silent.

"You'd better get back at Jax and Ray. It looks bad."

"I'll do my best, even if you're not on my side anymore."

"When did I say that?" His smile was more natural.

Sara scoffed in good humor, "I heard you, just five minutes ago."

"I said I was on my side. Since when does that not include you?" She smiled at him and Leonard said, "But, step it up."

Sara smirked. "Got it."

* * *

Sara sat in the kitchen, at ease for the first time in days. Mick was on one side, Leonard on the other, just finishing up dinner. Rip had bounced in and out, grabbing a plate and leaving without speaking to anyone. Kendra and Sara had chatted lightly, and Sara was unable to ignore how widely the Hawkgirl was smiling, her eyes darting between her and Leonard constantly.

Ray and Jax were talkative, but very jumpy each time Leonard or Sara so much as shifted.

She hid her smile and enjoyed their company. It had been too long. Perhaps isolating herself had been part of her problem. The bloodlust was there, but the company of her friends kept it from surfacing. They kept the anxiety away. They trusted her, which made her trust herself.

The fact that she was hanging out with Leonard once more didn't hurt either.

Sara picked at her bread, keeping an ear out.

"Blondie," Mick grumbled, "what do you think about Rip's plan?"

"Which part of his plan?" Sara asked. "The straight up frontal assault suicide? Going in without Kendra having a weapon? Or choosing the time period when Savage has an army?"

He chuckled. "All that sounds fun, I don't know what you're talking about."

Sara grinned and knocked his shoulder, pretending not to notice how Ray and Kendra blanched. They were all scared. Some of them were just better at hiding it. And some of them were better at distracting the others.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, heading towards the kitchen. Sara shifted slightly in her seat, slipping her head into her pocket.

_When I'm out walking, I strut my stuff_

_Yeah, and I'm so strung out_

Ray and Jax straightened up, narrowing their eyes at Sara and Leonard as the music stopped suddenly. She feigned a look of surprise, glancing at Leonard. He eyed her, amusement in the blue before looking back at the men across the table.

"One of yours?" he drawled.

The confusion was still mixing on their faces as Martin entered the room. "Good even-"

_I'm high as a kite, I just might_

_Stop to check you out_

The entire table snickered as Martin frowned at the ceiling, the music was silenced again. "What in the world was that?"

"Someone's pranking you," Sara said, looking around the room. She glared at Jax and Raymond. "Getting me wasn't bad enough, you're going after Stein, too?"

"It's not us."

"Why would we-"

_When I'm out walking, I strut my stuff_

_Yeah, and I'm so strung out_

Stein frowned at Ray and Jax, but his eyes flickered towards Sara. She arched a brow, not having counted on Stein being quite so intuitive. A faint twitch of his mouth and he turned back to the boys. "How juvenile."

"But, Grey," Jax argued.

Stein glared at Jax. "We will discuss this. And Mr. Palmer."

Ray flinched and looked at him.

"I thought you were like me. But it turns out-"

_I'm high as a kite, I just might_

_Stop to check you out_

Kendra snorted and Sara pulled her hand out of her pocket to smother a smile. Even Mick chuckled. Martin looked at each of them in turn, his eyes lingering on Leonard and then Sara.

"Enjoy your evening," Martin said stiffly. As he turned away, Sara caught a glimpse of a smile on his face.

Just before he exited, the music sounded once more.

_Let me go on... like I blister in the sun_

_Let me go on... big hands, I know you're the one_

Sara grinned, cutting her eyes at Leonard. His arms were crossed, but he looked far too smug to be innocent.

"I can't believe you pranked Stein," Kendra said, once the man had gone.

"But we didn't!" Ray said.

"I wish we had," Jax muttered, standing up as Kendra headed outside.

Ray stared after them before glaring at Sara and Leonard. "You win this round."

Sara leaned forward with a dangerous smile. "We win every round."

Once they were gone, Mick stared at the two of them. "Nicely done. Just your style, Snart."

"Is was, wasn't it?" Leonard murmured, turning in his seat to stare at Sara.

Mick got to his feet and headed out after the others, patting Leonard on the shoulder as he left. Sara smiled at his back as he left, glad to see Mick fitting in. Then she brought her eyes back to the more pressing problem.

Leonard uncrossed his arms, opening his palm to reveal the small remote Sara had rigged up. He bounced it in his hand. "Clever work, birdy."

"Did I step it up enough?" she asked, smirking.

"I am sufficiently impressed."

"Good." She wished she didn't feel so pleased with Leonard's approval, but she did. His opinion mattered to her.

Leonard tossed the remote over to her and she pocketed it. It might be useful later.

"What do you think about Rip's plan?" Sara asked, gathering up the plates that had been left behind.

"I think it's insane. But when has that stopped him before?"

She smiled into the sink, some of the nerves of the future fading. As long as Leonard was by her side, she figured they had a chance. "Good thing none of us have common sense."

"No kidding."

His voice sounded from right behind her and Sara turned with a frown. "What-"

Leonard kissed her.

His hand slipped under her jaw, tilting her chin up an inch to make up for the difference in their heights. It was incredibly gentle, nothing like she would have expected from him. Just the briefest stolen moment, a bright spot in their darkening future.

She was startled and didn't have a chance to react beyond a sharp inhale before he drew away. He smirked, completely unapologetic.

Sara bit her lip on instinct, tasting Leonard on her mouth, and it was like a spark igniting. "What was that for?"

His smirk widened. "Incentive."

"To do what?"

He arched a brow. "I said I was patient," he drawled. "But I'm a thief. Normally I just take what I want. So I'll wait, but I'm not a saint." Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walked out of the kitchen.

Sara watched him go, still tasting him on her lips.

It was getting harder and harder to remember why she was so hesitant about him.

* * *

**\- Post Leviathan -**

* * *

Sara knocked on Leonard's door, a little anxious. He opened it almost immediately. Sara stepped inside quickly.

"I don't like this," she said immediately. "I don't want Savage on this ship."

"Does anyone?"

"Someone does!" Sara shouted, pacing back and forth. "Because he's here, isn't he?" Having that monster on the _Waverider_ was trumping even her nervousness of being around Leonard. They hadn't discussed the kiss, but she'd seen the way he'd been looking at her. And she knew the way she was looking at him.

She didn't need more time to figure out anything with Leonard. She just needed time to act on it.

"Calm down, birdy."

"Don't tell me to calm down," she snarled at him. She instantly regretted her tone, but she couldn't help it. Savage had murdered Carter. He'd tried to kill Kendra. He'd succeeded in killing their son. Now, they had him in their grasp - in their ship - and he was still alive.

Leonard crossed his arms and stared at her.

She took a deep breath in through her nose and sighed. "Sorry."

"Having him here isn't ideal. But what about Carter?" Leonard said after a moment.

She frowned, staring at the floor. Of course she wanted Carter back. But she'd also said her goodbyes to him. Was it fair to exchange his life for someone else's? What if they lost someone in the process? What if she lost Leonard?

"I don't want Savage here," she repeated, unable to articulate the thoughts that made her choke up.

Leonard was quiet again for a moment. "He won't be for long." She looked up at him and saw his smirk. That icy, Captain Cold smirk. "I'm used to making the hard decisions. If it comes down to it, I'll-"

"I'll take care of it," Sara interrupted, frowning at him. "You're the klepto. I'm the killer. Remember?"

"Regardless of your work experience, I'll do it."

"Len-"

"I don't want you anywhere near him, Sara." He shifted, a glaring red sign for him and his comfort level.

She didn't press the matter. Not that she'd listen, necessarily. But she didn't want to fight.

"Where's your gun?" she asked him finally.

"In the storage bay."

Sara turned and left the room without a word, hearing Leonard on her heels. "Birdy, what-"

"I'm getting your gun. I don't want any of us unarmed." She was carrying a significant portion her entire arsenal on her person. Everything else was in her room, out in the open and ready for her to grab at a moment's notice.

"He is locked up."

"And isn't that damn convenient," she muttered.

"I'm not arguing. Just reminding you. And I will get my gun."

She was jumpy all the way down the corridor, flinching at any loud noise. Leonard kept watching her out the corner of his eye. Wanting to distract him, she thought of something she'd wanted to bring up with him.

"You talked with Cassandra a lot."

Leonard's eyes turned to the front. "Is there a question in there?"

"No," she answered immediately. But she looked over at him again.

"We have a lot in common," he finally said.

"How so?"

"Shitty fathers. Life of crime. Turning to the side of good," he added, only semi-sarcastically.

"You are good," she murmured. Leonard sharing pieces of his life with a stranger wasn't exactly in his character, but it was good, wasn't it? He was opening up...to people who weren't her. She wasn't jealous, exactly. How could she be jealous of having an abusive father? But he let Cassandra behind the curtain, while she'd been working much longer to get there.

"How boring."

Sara was unable to muster up a smile for that. She glanced at him again, but he caught her looking and arched a brow.

"Jealous, birdy?"

"No."

"Good." He continued forward again, leaving Sara to catch up.

She chewed her lip and watched the floor, unsure how to take his answer.

"I spoke with Cassandra for the team. For the world." He spoke quietly, staring straight ahead as they walked, "I shared details of my depressing life to make a connection that we could use. And we did." They arrived outside the storage bay and he entered in the code, still talking. "I share details of my depressing life with you for me. And you. It's different."

Sara nodded. "Same here." Not entirely true. She shared details of her life with him because she cared about him. They worked together. As teammates. As partners. As friends. There was no reason to think they wouldn't work as more. He made her better than she was.

There was no going back for her. She was all in. She just hadn't told Leonard yet.

And until she could find the time to do so, she was going to make sure nothing happened to either one of them.

When they were inside the storage bay, he shut the door behind them, putting it on a temporary lock while Sara retrieved his case from where he left it. She passed the box to him, but Leonard grabbed her wrist.

"We've got the gun. You now know there's no need to be jealous of Cassandra. Now tell me what's really bothering you." He let go, but took a seat on one of the containers.

"It's Savage. I don't want him here."

"Sara."

She dropped her eyes. "I have a feeling."

"Care to elaborate?"

Sara sat down next to him, rubbing her temples. "We caught the bad guy. We're almost to the Vanishing Point. Everything is coming up Legends."

"And?"

"Since when does that happen?" she asked him, looking over at him. "When in our lives does anything go right, let alone something as big as this?"

"Maybe our luck is changing." He stared at her, and she was unsure if he was talking about the mission.

"That's optimistic."

"Something I've never been accused of."

"Savage is damn pleased to be here. Something is wrong," Sara insisted, grabbing his arm on instinct. "And when it blows up in our faces, we need to be ready. You need to be ready."

"I will be."

She let go of him, glancing at the box in his lap. "You set?" she asked, trying to return her voice to normal.

"Yeah. He opened up his case and said, "I-"

_You're as cold as ice_

_Willing to sacrifice our-_

He slammed the case shut and the music stopped. Sara bit her lip not to laugh at the look of pure consternation on his face. With her heightened nerves making her already out of control, she couldn't stifle her amusement. He slowly opened it, but as soon as the locks lost contact, the music started again.

_-love_

_You never take advice_

_Someday you'll pay the price, I kn-_

"Palmer," Leonard hissed, closing the case again.

"Aren't you going to get your gun?" Sara laughed weakly. It was stupid, really. But she desperately needed to find something to laugh about.

He glared at her, but Sara could see the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Not breaking eye contact, he opened up his case completely, the voice of Foreigner filling the training room. He tried to take out the gun as quickly as possible, without making it look like he was hurrying.

_I've seen it before_

_It happens all the time_

_Closing the door_

_You leave the world behind_

_You're digging for gold_

_Yet throwing away_

_A fortune in feelings_

_But someday you'll pay_

_You're as cold as ice_

_You're willing-_

He shut the case, gun in hand, and Sara's laughter was the only thing to be heard.

"This is your fault, you know," Leonard pointed out without venom.

"I know," she grinned, falling into step with him as he left the room. "But it was funny."

"It'll be funnier when I freeze Palmer's ass to the chair."

She felt the tension leave her chest. Sure, having Savage on board was dangerous. Sure, something was bound to go wrong. But she'd prepared as much as she could. She would watch out for her friends and when this was done, she'd find her time with Leonard. It would all turn out in the end. She had to believe it.

Sara grinned and started humming, bumping into his shoulder.

Leonard glared at her, but he was still smirking. "Stop it."

She didn't stop. Neither one of them ever stopped.

That's why they were so good together.

Before she could chicken out, before she could over think it, Sara reached out and interlaced her fingers with Leonard's. Though they'd never done this before, it was the most natural thing in the world. His skin, slightly cooler than hers, was electric against her palm. Callouses rasped against hers, the two of them fighters. Completely different, both broken. But together, their broken pieces didn't seem so broken.

Leonard cut his eyes at her, his smirk widening slightly. But he didn't pull his hand away from hers.

They were going to make it through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this makes up for some of the angst I put you through last time. Next chapter will be a little rougher, since I'll be going through River of Time and Destiny.
> 
> Yes. Destiny.
> 
> DC's Legends of Tomorrow belong to their respective creators.
> 
> "I Kissed a Girl" belongs to Katy Perry, "Cold as Ice" belongs to Foreigner, and "Blister in the Sun" belongs to the Violent Femmes.
> 
> I own nothing of value. I'm doing this for purely entertainment purposes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little shorter, but the next one is already much longer. I'm sorry. This was really difficult for me to write, so I hope I did it justice.
> 
> Post River of Time, through Destiny. (Again, sorry.)

"And I said, 'Leonard Snart, Robber of ATM's.'"

"Of course you did," Sara laughed, putting her card down on the bed. Her nerves had been almost completely eradicated, though she didn't feel too badly about them. Savage _had_ escaped, Rip _had_ been injured, and she'd _had_ to pilot a timeship. Her nerves had been on point.

But now, Rip was on his way to talk to the Time Masters, get Savage put behind bars, and save his family.

It was almost done.

She looked up at Leonard as he stared at his cards, his face serious as he considered his options. She'd been upset when he tried to leave, but when Stein had made that a non-issue, she'd pushed it aside. He was one for self-preservation. She knew that about him. It was probably his worst quality, and really, not wanting to die wasn't that bad.

But they were still here. Still alive. Still together.

He looked up at her with another of those shadowed smirks. "Your move, birdy."

Sara grinned and looked at her cards, wondering exactly what she was going to do. Not with the game - she was winning - but with him. It was her move, as he'd made so obviously clear. Maybe once Rip dropped them in 2016…

Leonard hissed, "Did you hear that?"

"Don't try to distract me," she chided him, still looking at her cards. It wasn't unheard of for him to try and get her off topic when she was winning, and she was definitely-

"We need to find somewhere to hide," he said, no jokes on his face at all.

Sara knew that tone and tensed. "Why do we need to find somewhere to hide?"

"Alexa," he breathed.

Sara dropped her cards immediately and grabbed her knives, following Leonard out into the hallway. She trusted his instincts.

"I know a place," he murmured, his eyes casting back and forth up the corridor.

"I'll watch your back."

Leonard's nod was quick, as if he had assumed that would be the plan. He jogged up the hallway, barely making any sound on the metal flooring, carrying his weight perfectly. Sara ghosted along behind him, her ears now picking up the sounds of others in the ship.

He paused at a juncture, took a half step out, then fell back against the wall. His arm went up to keep her in place and Sara didn't even dare to breathe. Footsteps echoed towards them, steady and confident. Whoever it was, he was unafraid and, from the sound of the metal, armed.

Sara slid in front of Leonard, her knife glinting in the light.

She might not make it out of here alive, but neither she nor Leonard were going to be the first body.

Mick's voice broke the silence and she could almost feel Leonard immediately tense. Though she couldn't make out the words, she knew it wasn't anything good. Their opponent turned at the sound of the pyromaniac, speeding away from them.

She looked back at Leonard, turmoil written across his face as he stared at where Mick's voice had been.

There was nothing they could do at this moment. If they evaded capture, they could make a plan, but they were only two and it sounded like a lot more out there.

But if he said the word, she'd go and raise hell to save her friend. Even if it was suicide.

A muscle worked in his jaw and he went in the opposite direction. Sara didn't feel all that relieved. She felt guilty. Logically, this was the right choice, but that didn't make it a good one.

Kneeling down between two metal panels, Leonard's fingers worked at a half-hidden latch. He jerked his chin and Sara slithered against the wall to keep an eye out.

It seemed like an eternity, when it probably only took a few minutes. But footsteps were coming closer again and this time she could hear their names. She glanced back, hissing slightly through her teeth to get his attention and motioned with her thumb when he looked up.

Leonard nodded and straightened, pulling the panel up, his muscles straining against his shirt. It lifted silently and he gestured for her to come over. Sara did, her focus on the approaching men so that she didn't see where they were going until she was standing above it.

It was a narrow, dark hole in the floor, beneath the grating. Too dark to see. Nothing to orient herself. It was too small. Too confining. It reminded her of-

She met Leonard's eyes, panicking. His nod was curt; yes, he knew it reminded her of the coffin; no, they didn't have a choice.

Inhaling, Sara dropped silently into the hole, her back pressing against the wall to give Leonard room. For an awful moment, he stared at her as if he was going to shut her in alone and allow himself to be taken. But then he was dropping in next to her and pulling the panel back into place. Sara kept her eyes on the light until he completely shut it out.

Her hands were so tightly fisted that she was certain she'd drawn blood. Her back was absolutely rigid and when Leonard brushed her arm accidentally, she almost jumped out of her skin. Her breath was coming shorter and she could hear it in the silence. She was going to get them caught if she couldn't get control of herself, but she couldn't tether herself to anything, she was in the coffin, she was underground, she was dying again and -

Leonard wrapped his hand around her fist and Sara had her tether. She focused on his breathing and matched it. When the footsteps pounded directly above their heads, she held her breath, just like Leonard. As they faded away, he let out his breath. So did she.

And when it was silent for a long time, Sara's mind raced over what they could be doing to her friends. Just like Leonard's.

When they came out of the darkness, things only got worse.

* * *

Sara sat in the captain's chair, running her fingers over the panels. She'd flown it once already, which meant she had a good idea, but this was a different matter. An intense rescue attempt, based on a prank. And her partner in crime...well.

There wasn't a sound to indicate his arrival, but she knew when she wasn't alone any longer.

Leonard walked up behind her, "Done."

"Good," she said shortly, not looking at him. "Gide-"

"Birdy."

Sara didn't turn, trying to speak over him, "Gid-"

He stepped in her line of sight. "Sara."

"What, Leonard?" she snapped, still (rightfully) pissed.

He'd held a gun on her.

Leonard had threatened her life.

Now, not for a second did she think he would actually go through with it. And again, she wished she didn't understand his actions, but she did. Things were going sideways fast and his natural reaction to all of it was to run. Realistically, he wasn't going to leave Mick. She was pretty certain he wouldn't leave the rest of the team, either.

But he'd held a gun on her.

His face was carefully blank, no smirk, no confidence, just neutral. It was his go-to expression when he was especially uncomfortable.

Already she was softening, not wanting him to feel uneasy around her.

"I had a moment of weakness," he said lowly, carefully enunciating each sound. "Self-preservation."

"You held a gun on me," she reminded him.

His gaze dropped for a second, and Sara saw the flash of regret in his eyes. "A family trait."

Sara's heart clenched, but she wasn't going to let him get away with this self-pity spiral. "No. This has nothing to do with your dad."

He was ready to argue, but she spoke over him.

"You are nothing like him. Not in a single way other than your last name, so don't use that as an excuse. No, you wouldn't have hurt me, but you were still a dick. So take responsibility for your shit."

His mouth was still a stern line, but she saw the slight furrow of his brows, his discomfort starting to dissipate. "How do you know I wouldn't hurt you?"

"I know you, Len. You don't hurt your partners."

"And we're partners," he said, though it sounded like a question.

Sara nodded. "Right now, we're partners."

"And after?"

Her smile curled her lips. "We'll see."

"Guess I have a reason to make it through this, then." His tone was still careful, but joking. Testing the waters to see if they were okay.

Of course they were. "Damn straight. Now go get our team."

His footsteps faded and Sara was finally able to speak. This prank had to be their best. Because everyone they cared about, including one another, was riding on it.

"Alright, Gideon. Let 'em have it."

 _Love_  
Love will keep us together  
Think of me babe, whenever  
Some sweet-talking girl comes along, singing her song  
Don't mess around, you've just got to be strong, just stop  
'Cause I really love you, stop  
I'll be thinking of you

* * *

They were playing cards again.

Everyone was back safely, except for Kendra. The bridge was loud with Ray's comments and Rip's commands and Mick's swears for revenge on the Time Masters. Sara had stolen away after only a moment of it, cloistering herself away in her room as she breathed a sigh of relief in the silence.

They'd rescued most of their team. And they were going to finish the job soon enough.

She wasn't surprised when Leonard poked his head in. She was mostly over earlier, but it didn't mean she couldn't give him a hard time.

Then he'd come in and apologized - as best as Leonard could, at least - and they easily fell into their old habit. They discussed their thoughts for the rescue and revenge mission. Then suddenly, Leonard wasn't talking about the mission any longer.

"It's being on this ship. Traveling through time," he drawled, too casual to actually be casual. "Starting to think about what the future might hold for me. And you."

He glanced up at her. "And me and you."

Sara hid her smile, staring into those blue eyes. She could drown in them happily. That's what she was hoping to hear. She was too far gone to be able consider anything but a serious try at this. They could never be casual, couldn't just stay friends.

As soon as this mission was over, she'd be thrilled discovering that future with him. But right now? When they needed to rescue Kendra and stop the Time Masters? Whatever this was had to wait. But she didn't want him to think she was rejecting him. Not again.

Standing, she leaned over to him, a challenge in her stance and tone. "You want to steal a kiss from me, Leonard? You better be one hell of a thief."

As she walked out, she'd tried to ignore the smirk on his face.

They both knew he wasn't just a hell of a thief. He was a master.

And the crook and assassin would make it through this to the future he'd thought about.

* * *

"So they control our lives?" Sara asked about the Oculus. "Everything we've done to stop Savage, was actually their plan?"

"Certainly makes one rethink the benefits of destiny," Martin muttered. He'd requested being wheeled out of the medbay to join the discussion.

"What do we do?" Ray's question fell on deaf ears as Rip entered, his eyes sunken in. Hearing that the body he used to work for was responsible for the multiple deaths of his family had left him a little defeated.

Even Leonard, who would usually toss out a disdainful comment about their captain, held his tongue as Rip walked into his office.

Ray glanced at Mick once the captain vanished. "What if, Kendra and I being together, what if that was part of their plan?"

Leonard's head snapped up and he stared at them, his eyes narrowed.

"Come on," Sara said, glancing at Ray. "You can't seriously believe that the Time Masters would deal in your love life."

Mick, shrugged, which wasn't encouraging. "The Hawks were strongest when they were together."

Ray flinched at that, "So would they put me with Kendra? To keep us weaker? Keep the Legends from becoming a real threat?"

Sara shook her head. "No way. They might control our movements, but it has nothing to do with how we feel about it. Otherwise, they just would've gotten rid of Rip's vengeance, or made Kendra fall in love with Savage."

Ray looked hopeful, but Martin's eyes remained unconvinced. "Destiny is destiny. You can't fight it."

"So we're just the Time Master's puppets?" Ray asked.

"I'm nobody's puppet," Leonard snarled.

"Then that's it," Mick rumbled. "We cut their strings. Destroy the Oculus. Destroy the Vanishing Point."

"We should be more concerned about Kendra." Martin winced, pressing a hand to his side.

"Destroying the Oculus will cut off Savage's power," Leonard said, thinking it over. "Can you rig it to blow?" He looked at Ray.

Ray nodded after a moment. "Yeah, I can.

Sara said, "Then, we can track down Savage, Carter, and Kendra without the Time Masters messing with us."

"Sounds like a plan," Mick said, his fingers on his gun. "When do we leave?"

Sara got to her feet and went into Rip's office. "Captain?"

He looked up, the surprise at her use of his title barely touching the grief. "Ms. Lance."

There were dozens of things that Sara didn't like about Rip. The way he'd talked down to Mick. The way he had manipulated them. The way he'd used Jax. There were many reasons to hate the captain.

But she couldn't. He'd done everything, every single thing, to try and save his family. Was he right? No. But she couldn't hate him for it.

"You're needed," Sara said simply.

For the meeting. For the mission. For the team. The mission had changed, of course, but he was their leader.

Rip stared at her blankly for a long moment, and Sara refused to let her eyes drop. There would be time to grieve for his family. Just not right now.

Slowly, Rip stood. He'd never seemed to be much older than Leonard, but now Sara could see the weight of the lifetimes he'd traveled pressing on his shoulders. Straightening his coat, Rip nodded. She felt her faint respect for the captain rise as he pulled his chin up, swallowing his grief.

"Of course, Ms. Lance."

"We have a plan," Sara said, walking out with him.

"Who's we?" Rip asked, his eyes narrowing.

She grinned, already anticipating his response. "Killer, Klepto, and Pyro."

Rip glanced at her, then stepped out onto the bridge. For the first time since meeting him, Rip's reaction surprised her. "Perfect."

* * *

They stood in the cargo bay of the _Waverider_. Each of them, armed to the teeth, and staring straight ahead.

Sara was going through her weapons in her head, categorizing her blades and staff over and over. Her fingers tapped upon her staff as she stared at the backs of her teammates, all in front of her.

Except one.

"Assassin."

Sara didn't look over at him. "Crook."

The quiet ting of metal on metal told her Leonard was tapping his ring against his gun.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Before we go out there," Rip said quietly. "I wanted to say that it's been an honor and a priv-"

"Shut up," Leonard said. "You go in planning to die and you will."

"Nobody's dying today." Ray tried to remain optimistic.

"I hope you're wrong," Mick spoke up. "I plan on killing a shit ton of Time Masters."

"Same here," Sara added.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"I've got your back out there," she promised.

"Obviously," Leonard answered, as if he hadn't needed to hear it to know it. "I've got yours." A quick glance showed her his other hand was in his pocket, fiddling with something in there.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"And when we get back," Sara added, "we'll talk about that future."

She could feel the heat of his eyes. "Seeing as how we're blowing up time," Leonard added, "we'll have a lot of it for that conversation."

"I look forward to it."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Don't die," Leonard murmured suddenly.

"I made you a promise," Sara reminded him. "And so did you."

"I did, didn't I?"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Without looking, Sara reached out and took his hand. Leonard froze, but then wrapped his fingers around hers.

"We have arrived at the Vanishing Point," Gideon announced.

Sara watched each of the Legends brace themselves. They wouldn't admit it, but they knew that this wasn't going to be easy. She looked at Leonard, catching his profile. His eyes fixed straight ahead, but she saw the way his mouth quirked up. His smirk was catching, and Sara's nerves loosened slightly.

"Ready to end the world, birdy?"

"It would be my genuine pleasure."

* * *

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Mick unconscious. Leonard holding the bomb in place.

He'd told her to take Mick and run, but she couldn't leave him. They'd promised.

She couldn't argue. She wanted to - god, did she want to. But she understood.

Of course she understood. He was the one thing in her life that she understood, even better than herself.

And he understood her. That was part of the reason he'd knocked out Mick, she was certain. If Mick had been conscious, Sara would have stayed with Leonard. And so would Mick. Knocking one of them down was the only way to ensure that they both lived through this. Her life was one thing; she wouldn't decide Mick's death, too. And Leonard knew that.

That damn smart crook.

Wrapping her hand around his arm, she kissed him, pouring all the things she wished she'd said and done and admitted. It was a second and an eternity. A lifetime and a breath.

She broke away, blue eyes scorching her as she stepped back. She didn't say anything. There were no words. Nothing that would make this okay. Nothing that would stop this.

She grabbed Mick and pulled him out of the Oculus room.

Tears streaming down her face, she made it to the door and had to pause. If she looked back, she wouldn't be able to leave him. If she saw him standing alone, she'd go back. To live or die with her crook.

The crook and the assassin. That's how it was going to be.

Mick groaned and Sara knew that Leonard would never forgive her if she failed to save Mick. So she pulled Mick higher on her shoulders and dragged him to the _Waverider_.

She didn't look back.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

* * *

When it was done, she didn't cry. A tear or two might have escaped when she was on the bridge, but nothing more than that. As soon as she could, Sara went to her room and locked the door behind her.

The deck of cards was still on her bed.

Sara stared at it. Just hours ago, they were here, talking about a future. He was here.

And now-

Stalking across the room, she grabbed the cards, ready to throw them into the trash. But she stood over the bin, the cards clutched in her hand, unable to drop them.

The metal was cold against her back as she slid down to the floor, holding the deck to her chest.

He'd _promised_.

For hours, Sara sat there, staring at the wall. She kept waiting for the door to open. For his smirk and comment about how she was being emotional. She waited to hear the plastic hush as he shuffled their cards. She waited to hear the whirr of his gun or his dark chuckle. She waited to hear him say her name.

She'd waited to see the look on his face when she told him that she didn't need more time. That she'd chosen him. Them. That it didn't matter about her past or his past or what past they lived in, as long as she was with him.

She'd waited too long.

And now she'd be waiting forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DC's Legends of Tomorrow belong to their respective creators.
> 
> "Love Will Keep Us Together" belongs to Captain And Tennille.
> 
> I own nothing of value. I'm doing this for purely entertainment purposes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter.
> 
> Post Destiny

Everyone leaves.

Her sister.

The Legends.

Her crook.

No matter what the promises. No matter what she does.

Everyone leaves.

* * *

It had been a week since Sara had found out about Laurel's death. She'd been staying with her father in Star City, unsure what else to do after being dropped off by Rip. Team Arrow wasn't appealing and going back to Central City about the same. Returning to the League was out, too. Ra's knew that she wasn't truly an assassin, and if she was honest with herself, Sara knew that after all the work she'd done to overcome her bloodlust, she couldn't go back. Which left here here.

No team. No League. No Legends.

Sara kept her eyes down as she walked with her dad. He was one of the few people she could do that with. But he had been pounding the pavement on these dangerous streets almost his entire life. If anyone could watch her back now, it was him.

Neither one of them were big talkers, but she found comfort in being around him. So when he was done at work, she'd walk over to the precinct and walk back to the apartment with him. Sometimes they picked up food, sometimes they didn't. Most times it was a quiet walk and the only time Sara left the apartment.

It didn't feel like home anymore. Nowhere did.

Due to her training and her father's occupation, Sara was understandably surprised when a figure stepped out in front of them without either of them noticing anything amiss.

"Blondie."

Sara flinched and looked up, startled to see Mick standing in front of her.

"Who the hell are you?" Quentin asked, his hand reaching for his belt.

"He's a friend, Dad." Sara grabbed his arm.

"He looks like a criminal."

"Arson, robberies, bounty hunting." Mick tried out his tough guy eyes on Quentin, but to his credit, her father didn't so much as blink.

"And why shouldn't I arrest you?"

"Because he's on my team. Or, used to be."

"You worked with my little girl?" Quentin asked with a frown.

"She's quite the badass," Mick said, with hardly a grimace.

"She gets that from me."

"And a little crazy."

"That's from her mother."

"What are you doing here, Mick?" Sara asked, dragging the conversation back. "How'd you even know where I was?"

He didn't answer, but pulled out a slip of paper and held it out to her. She didn't take it. She knew what it was, despite it being folded and unfolded a thousand times. It was her address. The one she'd given to-

"Boss gave it to me. Said that if something were to happen, I should look you up." Mick stared at the paper, too, as if unsure how he'd gotten there at all.

"So he told you to what, check in on me?" Sara went with anger. Anger was easier. "I don't need someone to look after me."

"I know." Mick lowered his arm to his side, but didn't put the paper away. "He said you might need a friend."

Tears threatened at her eyes, so Sara looked away from him, anger warring with anguish. "Well, I-"

"And so would I."

Sara looked at Mick - really looked at him. He was never usually very well-dressed, but his clothes were clearly the result of a few days of wearing. The dark circles under his eyes showed that he was sleeping as well as she had been. The frown on his mouth wasn't unfamiliar, but it seemed more permanent. He was lonely.

"Come on in," she said, leading her way toward the steps.

"Sara," Quentin tried to argue.

"He's my friend, Dad." Sara said, looking back at him.

He glanced at Mick and Sara could see the struggle on his face not to argue again. "And this other guy? The one you gave my address to?"

Her gaze dropped and Mick stepped in. "He died."

Quentin's eyes narrowed briefly, then he nodded. "All right. But if you do anything…"

"I'll behave."

When they got up to Quentin's apartment, he went immediately to his room and shut the door, not before adding, "I think there might still be some drinks in the fridge."

Sara glanced at him sharply and he rolled his eyes. "It's not for me. It's for guests."

"What guests?"

"Remember Felicity's mom?"

"No."

"We'll talk later." Quentin shut the door in her face and ended the conversation.

Sara went to the fridge and grabbed the drinks - a few bottles of beer that her dad had always hated - and returned to the living room. Mick had already seated himself in her dad's favorite armchair. Sara passed him a bottle and then curled up on the edge of the couch.

They sat in silence, before Sara managed to remember some general hospitality. "How's Central City?"

Mick shrugged, only moving one shoulder. "S'alright. Don't get out much. Haven't seen anyone."

Sara caught the implication. "Lisa needs to know."

"I know." He thumbed at the label, peeling off the edge from the bottle. "I just don't want to tell her. Something about girls and crying." He shook his head slightly. "How's it here in Star City?"

Avoiding his eyes, Sara drank deeply from her bottle. "Fantastic."

"You gonna join Team Arrow?" Mick asked.

"I thought about it," Sara admitted. "But now…"

Though Mick wasn't a very talkative person, he demonstrated surprising tact as he remained silent and let her catch her breath.

"My sister was killed. While we were away."

Mick stared at her, then, in a slow breath, just said, "Fuck."

Sara gave a bark of cold laughter. "Yup. So Team Arrow isn't exactly where I want to be. And since Rip disbanded us, I just...I don't know."

"Could always go back to the League."

She shook her head faintly. "After everything I did to leave it, I can't go back again."

"I could use a partner."

Sara looked over at him, not smiling, but softer. "I appreciate it. But with my dad being a cop…"

"Could cause some tension," Mick muttered. "I get it. Besides, it's not like you know anything about stealing."

She thought about the padlock and picks in her bag, untouched at the bottom. "He taught me how to pick locks," she said quietly, staring at the bottle. She didn't need to say who.

Mick drained his beer. "Tried to teach me. But it never stuck."

"That's why you were such a good team." Sara finished her drink, numbing the pain that swelled up as they turned the conversation back to their mutual friend. "He broke you in, but you got him out."

"He saved my life, when we met," Mick muttered, staring straight ahead.

Sara rolled onto her back and faced the ceiling, both of them feeling more comfortable without eyes on them. "He told me that you saved him. A kid in juvie had a shiv."

Mick chuckled, "That he did. And with a smart mouth, Boss'd already pissed off the alpha dog. I saved his ass that day. But it was every day after that, when he saved mine. He'd keep me from fighting every single fight. Use his words to confuse people into leaving us alone." Mick reached over and grabbed a second drink, popping it off with his hand. "Without him, I would've been dead a dozen times my first time in jail."

"He saved a lot of people," Sara murmured.

"He did," Mick agreed. "But even before the Time Masters, he was a hero. Even when I hated him, he was still the best guy I ever knew. He was a hero to me."

"You ever tell him that?" Her question was answered by silence and she knew what he would have said. No. Because they didn't talk. They fought, they joked, they watched each other's backs, they even kissed, but they didn't talk. Not really.

"Did you tell him?" Mick asked, after he took a swig.

"No." She never told him anything about being her hero, but that isn't what Mick meant.

"We should've."

Sara finished her drink and remained silent.

"Did he ever tell you about us and the Flash?" Mick rumbled after a while.

"No."

He chuckled, "Alright. So, we're running the town when suddenly, the scarlet speedster starts showing up everywhere…"

They passed the next six hours drinking and talking, taking care never to actually say his name, but discussing nothing else. Sometimes they would just sit in silence until they thought of something else. But it was comfortable. She didn't need to pretend with Mick, and he was the same with her.

She eventually fell asleep on the couch and when she woke up, Mick was gone. On the table, amidst the empty bottles was a note.

_Thanks, Blondie. I think he wanted you to have this._

Sara held the thick silver ring between her fingers before slipping it on her finger.

* * *

Sara stood at Laurel's tombstone, staring at the words etched in without really seeing it.

"I'm going to kill a man today," she said quietly. "He took a friend of mine. We're going to save her, and I'm going to kill him."

She inhaled, her fingers restless. "I know Team Arrow doesn't kill anymore. But sometimes, bad guys need to be put down. You don't - didn't - think that. And maybe I'm wrong. But how is it fair that a man like Savage gets to live while you and...while you die?" Her throat closed for a moment and Sara dropped her gaze to the turf, "I don't know who I am. I'm not a vigilante. I'm not an assassin. And the people who knew me best are gone. You're gone and I don't know what to do without you. I don't know who I am without you. I don't know where I should be without you."

The silver band on her finger glinted and Sara knew she wasn't just talking to Laurel any longer.

"But I'll try. I'll watch out for Dad and Mick. I'll control the bloodlust and I'll be more than an assassin." She managed a shaky half-smile and rolled her eyes, ignoring the tears. "And if I ever see Damien Dhark or a Time Master, no matter when, well...they better start running now." She breathed in deeply, pushing her grief away.

"Because I'm coming for them."

* * *

Sara faced off against Savage, the immortal monster grinning as he stared at her approach.

"Back again?" he sneered.

Sara heard the bursts of Firestorm's power, keeping the others away from her while she dealt with Savage. There had been no other option when Rip had asked for volunteers. She had to be one of the ones to end his reign.

"I know you." He moved easily against her, parrying her blows and doing his best to throw her off balance. It didn't work. "The Canary. Resurrected murderer."

Sara kept her composure, willing herself not to rise to the bait. It was nothing she hadn't said about herself.

"The monster, the assassin," Savage taunted.

He was right, once upon a time. But that was before. Before the Legends, before time-traveling, before -

Before.

Now, the very insults she had thrown upon herself were only fire for her. Savage's eyes darted around, looking for assistance, but they were alone.

"They fear you!"

Sara ignored him, her silence doing more to unnerve Savage than anything she could say. The Legends didn't fear her. But more importantly, she didn't fear herself. She was in control.

Had she been alone, Savage would have won. He had seen every dark corner of herself that she'd hated, and could have destroyed her with that knowledge. But she wasn't alone, even if there was no one around her.

She'd learned to be human with Kendra.

She'd rediscovered her optimism with Ray.

She'd understood teammwork with Jax and Stein.

She'd found her ability to lead through Rip.

She'd was redeemed and forgiven with Mick.

She'd been able to be herself with a crook.

Sara was never alone.

"Your anger will consume you!" he shouted, falling back beneath her onslaught, true fear in his eyes as she pressed forward.

Looking within herself, Sara almost paused, but not for the reasons Savage suggested. She had expected the bloodlust to be rising with every blow exchanged.

But it wasn't there.

A little anger, yes. Righteous indignation, yes. Sorrow, absolutely. But she was at peace with this decision - this was justice. Sara pressed Savage back, knocking his blows aside as if she had choreographed them.

She thought she didn't know who she was when she was alone. But she knew now.

"You are nothing! I am immortal!"

Wrenching him to the side, the snap of his neck cracked the silence around them, echoing off the cement. She dropped him to the ground unceremoniously, no grand gestures for the tyrant's death. Just the cold ground and a witness.

"Immortal, huh?" Sara said to his corpse. "Well, I'm a Legend."

* * *

Following Mick and Rip onto the Waverider, Sara's thoughts were on Rex Tyler's warning rather than her surroundings. As such, she ran into Mick's back when he stopped abruptly in the entrance to the bridge.

"Give a girl some warning next time," Sara muttered, stepping around the frozen pyro to see what had caught his attention.

Rip's office had been straightened up from neglectful chaos to comforting clutter following Savage's deaths, Gideon's lights were gentle after the harsh sunlight outside, some of which slipped in through the wide windows. Their jump seats were empty and waiting for them, and in the captain's chair -

Her chest constricted so tightly as to be painful and her lungs failed to function, the hurt of losing two of the people she most cared about leaving her in a raw state. She couldn't do anything but stare, wondering if she'd gone mad; if she blinked would he vanish?

"Mr. Snart," Rip said, quelling her insanity with a tone colored by awe and amazement. The greeting silenced the conversation of Jax and Ray behind him and Martin inhaled audibly. Sara felt muscles flex beneath her fingers; she'd unconsciously grabbed Mick's arm, desperate for something solid to cling to as her world was once again rocked.

Leonard Snart. It had to be him because no one else would be so casually cool as he sat in Rip's chair, one foot propped up on his knee, regarding them with such practiced indifference. His gaze rested briefly on her before he glanced up to Rip with a smirk. "Mr. Hunter."

"We thought you died," Ray said, his voice a touch too loud in the wake of his shock. Sara visibly flinched at the word, but her eyes never left Leonard.

"The rumors were greatly exaggerated," Leonard replied, his unflappable calm making Sara's emotions seem all the more ridiculous.

"How in the world did you survive?" Martin asked, stepping nearer. The group moved as a whole, drawn to their teammate, though Mick and Sara fell to the back, needing some distance. Leonard's eyes tracked them briefly before he dropped both feet to the floor and leaned forward.

"When the bomb went off, it took the Oculus with it. And, it appears, part of time itself. I guess its instability made it...easy to persuade. I was thinking of 2016 when the aftershock hit me, and it appears to have blasted me here," Snart summed up, as if surviving an explosion and being shoved through time were an everyday occurrence.

"Magnificent," Martin breathed. "You managed to wrangle the pure chaos of time itself with nothing more than your will."

Leonard stood. "It wasn't all peachy. Being torn apart and reassembled atom by atom wasn't entirely comfortable. And I landed myself halfway between here and Star City a few days ago, with no one to contact. Only got here a few minutes before you and, as much as I hate to admit it, finding you here was mere coincidence." His eyes once again sought Mick and Sara, the explanation for his delayed return clearly meant for them.

"Coincidence or destiny?" Ray asked.

"I died to make sure there was no more destiny, not for me," Leonard argued. "Not my fault it didn't stick."

Sara's hand tightened on Mick at the repetition of his death, unnoticed by everyone else.

Ray crossed the small neutral zone between the group and pulled an unsuspecting Leonard into a hug. "We're glad to have you back, Snart. You're a true hero."

"Don't get used to that. It was a one off kind of thing." Leonard pushed Ray off of him, gentler about it than she would have expected.

Ray's smile made it clear he didn't believe it for a second.

With Ray's movement, the rest were free to greet Snart, though handshakes, rather than hugs, were exchanged.

"It's good to see you, man."

"Glad to have you back on the team, Mr. Snart."

"In another life, you could have been a great temporal physicist."

"How boring that would be," Snart replied.

It became increasingly awkward, once the others had finished, when Mick and Sara still made no move towards the thief.

"We should return to Mr. Tyler," Rip said, after a quick glance between the rogues.

"I'll join you." Martin followed the Time Master outside.

Jax and Ray left in the other direction, mentioning something about unpacking.

Then there were three.

Leonard stared at them, only the carefully blank expression and slight fidget of his fingers belying his nerves. Finally he asked, "Mr. Tyler?"

Mick's voice was flat and unemotional as he answered, "Justice Society member from the future, telling us not to do what we're about to do."

"Of course." Leonard glanced at Sara. "Kendra?"

Again Mick spoke. "Rescued and back with Carter."

"And Savage?"

"Dead. Three times over."

Leonard's smile was brief. "Sorry I missed that."

They fell silent again. Sara was vaguely aware that she still was holding onto Mick's arm. He must have realized at the same time, because he took a step away from her, forcing her to go nearer to Leonard or let go. She let go.

"You hit me. Again." Mick stared at his partner.

"I did." Leonard stared back, unflinching. Mick's deepening frown forced Leonard to continue. "I left you behind once, I wasn't doing it again. You're my partner."

"Then why didn't you tell me you had a plan?"

Unconsciously, Leonard shifted slightly nearer to them. "I didn't," he admitted. "I thought I was going to die and I didn't." Seeking Mick's gaze, Leonard shrugged. "That's all there is to it."

Mick didn't respond for a long moment. Then he stuck out his hand, grabbing Leonard's. The handshake was ruined as Mick used it as leverage to pull Leonard closer and growl, "You pull a stunt like that again, and hero or not, I'll make you regret it."

"A little fire for my sins?" Leonard smirked, some of the tightness fading from his mouth.

"Nah," Mick dropped his hand and gestured behind him. "I'll set her on you."

The movement drew Leonard's attention to Sara and the ease from Mick and his reunion was almost instantaneously gone. Vanishing as quietly and subtlety as a man of Mick's size was capable of, Sara was all too soon left along with Leonard. He had moved nearer with Mick's conversation and only a few short feet separated them.

She waited for the jokes, the dark comments, the wit, the banter, anything that would keep either of them from looking too deeply. Instead, she got a solemn look and -

"Sara."

Had he said anything else - called her Lance, assassin, birdy, - she might have been able to control her ragged emotions. But for him to say her name in _that_ tone after putting her through hell -

Crossing the distance between them, Sara drew back her fist and punched Leonard in the face.

He fell back with a swear, "What the hell, Lance?!"

"You died!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

He rubbed his jaw, "Technically-"

"I thought you died! You let me think you're dead, then you walk back with that smug look as if everything is fine, but it's not!" She could feel the burning in her eyes that signaled she was about to start crying. "We mourned you!" She made to hit him again, anything not to feel the pain - but Leonard caught her fist in his hand, pulling her nearer to keep her from hitting him.

"I'll grant you I deserved the first one, but that's the only free shot you're getting." His voice, low and irritated, was so familiar. The warmth of his hand around hers diffused her anger, but with nothing to hold back the rest of it, her tears started to pool. She wanted to look away, but the ridiculous fear of him vanishing kept her gaze frozen. Now that she wasn't trying to hit him, Leonard seemed content to stare back as well, his eyes softening. "I heard about your sister."

That pushed her tears over the edge and she wrenched her arm free, her other hand coming up to try and conserve the warmth left by him. "You had time to Google me, but not call?"

"Gideon told me when I got aboard, just before you."

She shook her head, trying to quell the emotional storm and stepping back from him. She couldn't think about Laurel right now. Part of her wanted to walk away, while the other half never wanted to let him out of her sight again.

"It's not like I had a choice, birdy. It wasn't my plan to die that day."

Sara scoffed, "I know."

"Then why-"

"You left, Leonard. You promised, me and you. And then you were gone. I know you had to do it, I know you're a hero, but you died. And I...you were gone."

He didn't move towards her, but asked, "How long?"

"Three weeks."

She stared at the ground, hating herself for feeling so weak, hating him a little for seeming so in control. If he didn't care, she wished he would just say so, because this was -

"I'm sorry."

She could count on one hand the number of times Leonard Snart had apologized to anyone. The novelty of it dulled her pain some and a quick swipe of her hand got ruin of the evidence. Staring at him carefully, Sara detected a tinge of discomfort, no doubt brought on by her emotions. Reigning herself in, she continued in a calmer tone. "I'm glad you're not dead. We missed you."

Despite her efforts, Sara saw his mouth thin out and he took a step back. "Flattering. I'm glad the team missed me."

Sara frowned. "What do y-"

"I suppose I'll be heading back into Central City." His gaze had gone shuttered again, hiding something from her.

He was leaving the _Waverider_? He tore her world apart when he was taken from her and in the brief respite this appearance had brought, Sara had begun considering a future in which Leonard figured heavily. But he wanted to leave? "Why would you leave?"

"What's keeping me here?" Leonard challenged.

Sara's frayed feelings were destroyed a little further until she got a good look at his face. He was honestly asking - as if he didn't know.

Sara grabbed his arm, trying to get through that thick skin and disbelief, "Len, we missed you. You can't just leave again."

He turned with a blank look, miles away from her and just beneath her fingers. "I can't stay if-" he trailed off, looking at her hand. "What is that?"

The silver ring on her finger glittered. "It's yours."

"I gave it to Mick."

"He gave it to me." Leonard stared at her until she added, "He said that I needed it more. That you probably meant for me to have it."

Leonard's eyes tracked up towards her face, cautious awe breaking through his mask. Sara wasn't about to lose him again. "You were dead. And I..." She drew in a breath. "I missed you." Not enough. She remembered all the things she regretted not saying before, and refused to wait another second. "When I fell for a crook, I didn't think I'd have to worry about you sacrificing yourself for some stupid moral reason."

His eyes lit up like the sun behind a glacier. It tempered slightly as he frowned, not at her, but at something else. "When we found out the Time Masters were controlling us, I considered that we were only...together by their design. By blowing it up, maybe you would feel differently. That it wasn't as real as I thought."

She wanted to argue that, but it made all too much sense for the man who was constantly used by those who claimed to love him to believe others would be doing the same. Still, she knew that he was pushing himself to his emotional capacity by even admitting the possibility, so she returned their conversation to familiar ground. "Like anyone besides us would want us to be together. We're too much trouble."

"I happen to love trouble."

For what felt like the first time in months, Sara smiled. Suddenly, what Rip had said about her being strong didn't seem quite so unattainable now.

"When I was thinking of 2016, in those last moments" Leonard said, playing with the ring on her finger, "I should've thought of Lisa or Mick, and I did, briefly." He glanced up, looking oddly vulnerable. "But in the end, I thought of you. And me."

"And me and you?" she teased.

He smirked, one hand coasting from her shoulder to her hip. Sara's eyes were drawn to his mouth. It said the most painful truths and stumbled over the easiest feelings, but she couldn't imagine anything better than hearing every wicked word he had to say for the rest of her life.

Leonard leaned down the scant inches between them, his breath puffed against her lips as Sara's eyes slid closed -

_We're like whiskey from the still_

_The kind of buzz you just can't kill_

_There's a poison in your kiss_

_Loving you is worth the risk_

Sara jumped and Leonard cursed, looking around the bridge. Laughter brought their attention to the doors, where Ray, Jax, and Mick stood, shit-eating grins on their faces.

"Told you we'd win," Mick called out over the music.

Jax laughed, "We got you!"

_I knew I'd be doing time_

_When you locked your eyes with me_

_I jumped in and took a ride_

_I'm your Bonnie and you're my Clyde_

Sara cocked her head, "So you _meant_ to piss off an assassin who was just reunited with her crook? One who can break into your room without breaking a sweat and the other who knows how to kill a man sixteen different ways with just her right hand?"

Mick continued to smirk, unconcerned. Jax and Ray looked sufficiently rattled, even more so when Leonard threw his arm over Sara's shoulders and drawled, "Whoops."

_This whole town ain't safe with us_

_You and me boy are dangerous_

_Our love is a warning sign_

_I'm your Bonnie and you're my Clyde_

Jax grabbed Ray's arm. "Right. Well, we'll leave you to whatever you're doing."

"Congratulations," Ray added before they exited the room in a hurry.

After too long a moment, Mick added, "Don't fuck it up." Then he left, too.

_We'll be famous on these streets_

_We'll go down in history_

_Erase our names they can try_

_Love is strong, we'll never die_

Sara leaned into Leonard's arm, smiling after her friends. She glanced over at Leonard. "So, want to travel through space and time, killing, stealing, and raising all kinds of hell with me, crook?"

Leonard's smirk warmed her from the inside. "Sounds like my kind of party, assassin." His eyes darted down to her lips, but before he moved, Sara found the courage to say one last thing.

"I love you."

He didn't flinch or try to run. Instead, he gave a genuine smile, though slightly surprised. "I don't know how you managed it, birdy, but I've loved you for a while."

_I knew I'd be doing time_

_When you locked your eyes with me_

_I jumped in and took a ride_

_I'm your Bonnie and you're my Clyde_

She took a breath and faced him, making the lines reappear briefly. She took his hand and they smoothed away.

"Leonard," Sara began, making sure to catch his eyes with hers so there would be no room for misinterpretation, "you were right from the beginning."

His frown lasted only a second before he cottoned on to what she was saying. His eyes got that same dark look they'd had over the past few months and his smirk seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was strange to think that it hadn't been the pranks or the jokes, or the mission, or anything else that he'd needed to be happier. It had been her. She wasn't used to being someone that could make others happy.

Sara leaned forward and smirked, "Divert me."

"It's about damn time."

His hand wrapped around her jaw and the back of her neck as his mouth came down hard over hers, taking, stealing her breath and her sorrows.

Finally, she kissed him back. Her free hand grabbed the edges of his jacket and hauled him closer, heat exploding across her body as he stepped forward willingly, pressing every inch of himself against her.

This was no stolen moment to incentivize. This wasn't a grief-filled goodbye. This was a real kiss.

And _god_ , did Leonard know how to kiss.

His tongue dragged across her bottom lip and Sara gasped. As always, Leonard took his advantage, plundering her mouth as he would a vault or a wallet, nothing left behind, no inch unexamined. She moaned, muffled against his mouth, but he heard it. She knew he did, because his own breath caught for the briefest second and he dropped his hand to her hip and pulled her closer, both of them over the walls and the ice and the keeping people at an arm's length.

Sara ran her hands over his close-cropped hair, keeping him close even as she started to struggle for air. His teeth nipped at her lip and Sara was forced to pull away, dragging air in through her lungs as Leonard pressed his mouth against her jaw and neck, his tongue darting out to taste her skin. She hung onto his collar, thankful for his grip on her waist, because her knees were weak.

"You aren't just one hell of a thief, Leonard," she whispered, sliding her hands beneath his jacket to feel the muscles she'd only caught a glimpse of. She stepped back, pulling him with her until the hit the window. He still held her hips against his, but his arm went up, allowing him to lean against the glass with a smile.

"You are a master thief."

"And don't you forget it." Leonard dipped his head and kissed her again. Sara pulled him closer, the thrum of his heart keeping pace with her own. This was her home. Didn't matter where or when. Here was where she belonged.

"You know," he drawled quietly, sending a shiver through her, "there are several empty rooms just down the hallway."

She grinned and grabbed his hand, finding that she was rather looking forward to the long stretches of time in the Between.

She knew just how diverting Leonard Snart could be.

_This whole town ain't safe with us_

_You and me boy are dangerous_

_Our love is a warning sign_

_I'm your Bonnie and you're my Clyde_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! It's over.
> 
> I agonized over this chapter for weeks. This was the first thing I had written of this story and the longest. I hope it delivered.
> 
> Thank you so very, very much for all the comments, kudos, and bookmarks. It means so much to read what you guys think. And it makes me post faster.
> 
> I'm already working on some more LoT stuff, so keep an eye out.
> 
> For now, I'll say goodbye and thank you for reading.
> 
> ~Caitastrophe
> 
>  
> 
> DC's Legends of Tomorrow belong to their respective creators.
> 
> "Bonnie and Clyde" belongs to Kellie Pickler.
> 
> I own nothing of value. I'm doing this for purely entertainment purposes.


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